Lead and Gold
by kaze karter
Summary: Adrian finds a subject for his art, she really wishes he hadn't, it'll only make things worse between them. Post-Bloodlines. AdrianXSydney.
1. Chapter 1

Don't own, Don't sue.

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><p><strong>Lead and Gold<strong>

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><p>"This is why I don't visit more often."<p>

Adrian looked up at the sound of her voice; he was seated on the floor of his new apartment, surrounded by a bomb site of art works and paper. The one he had just thrown haphazardly, almost decapitating her as she walked through the door now lay at her feet.

"Hmm," she mused picking it up and surveying the brightly coloured canvas, "early cubism?" she peered around the frame of the painting in question.

Adrian, whose hair was mussed more than usual and whose clothes looked slept in for more than a few nights didn't answer as he picked up another artwork from the pile around his body, his green eyes looked unhappy, "What are you doing here?"

Sydney carefully laid the piece down on the only bare top of furniture in the entire room, the rest: The recliner, the kitchen top and almost every inch of floor was taken up by artwork of various style, oils, watercolours, some charcoals even. She stepped her way cautiously closer to the surly looking vampire who had just deemed another of his works unacceptable and tossed in none to gently onto the already over laden couch.

"Had a message to pass on, Sonya wants you to be at her place for lunch tomorrow, apparently they've had some luck tracking down a potential Spirit user from LA fifteen years ago."

"How long?"

"How long what?" Sydney quoted.

"How long will this lunch take? I've got somewhere to be tomorrow afternoon."

Ever the human day planner, Sydney understood his reasons, "Right, the art show. It shouldn't take long, I was only told to get excused for the lunch period, there shouldn't be a delay."

Adrian grunted his assent before leaning over and slapping her on the foot, Sydney jumped in response and moved out of his way as he groped for a new artwork to consider. "I assume that's what all this mess is for…" she left her sentence open ended and Adrian picked up on it.

"We have to submit one piece for the show tomorrow night, I was considering just putting myself on display, but didn't feel like that'd be fair to others, who could compete?"

Sydney was reminded uneasily of how she'd often thought of him in terms of classic sculptures and decided wisely not to comment on his joke. "So you decided instead to simply trash your apartment?"

"No." Suddenly he jumped to his feet making Sydney flinch again. "I just can't decide. Help me out here Sage; you're a college professor in a hot blonde's body. Which do you think would be best?"

Sydney did her best to pass her red cheeks off as the result of outrage rather than embarrassment, but failed rather spectacularly and in a desperate change of topic quickly agreed to help him in his quest.

Typically, she set about sorting Adrian's different works into piles, denoted by type, style and likelihood of being chosen. Adrian watched her as she studied a landscape piece done in bright water colours and coughed something under his breath, "Hawii five-OCD."

"What was that?" she asked testily.

"Nothing, Martha Stewart."

"Remember the part where you asked for my help?"

"Sorry."

"You're not forgiven." She snagged one large looking canvas that had taken up residence under the TV cabinet and studied it. "Hey I remember this one." She turned the frame so Adrian, who had slumped in the now artwork free recliner could see, he winced. "What I don't remember is it being torn to shreds." She finished.

The 'love' painting, which she had seen first in Clarence's den had indeed seen better days and Sydney had an idea as to why, wether she was willing to bring that up was another matter, after a few moment of deducing if having a deep and meaningful conversation with a vampire was really appropriate she decided to just come straight out with it.

"So Dimitri turning up here was kind of inconvenient, huh?"

Adrian smirked as he leant forward and rested his elbows on his knees; his hair even more messed up then when she arrived, "You could say that."

Sydney bit her lip, "Are you…umm," it seemed kind of stupid to finish that sentence with okay; luckily Adrian saved her the trouble.

"I'm fine Sage." He stood, "Don't fret mother." He walked over to her and took the 'love' painting off her hands, carefully adding it to her pile of oils on 15X15 canvases.

Awkwardness descended upon them and Sydney found herself examining the bright yellow walls, "Cheerful and calming, huh?"

Adrian smirked, "That's what it said on the tin."

He was staring at her again and Sydney tried her best to swallow the tightness in her chest, it took her a few moments to notice that his expression was so dark. "What?" she asked self-consciously.

He continue to stare, after a few minutes of confusion on her part Sydney jumped a little as he suddenly crossed to her, reaching his hand out.

She flinched and stepped away as his fingers touched her neck, old fears about vampires and blood suckers sparking her reaction.

Adrian for his part quickly forced his hand to his side and looked at her apologetically, "Sorry Sage," he said softly, "I didn't mean to scare you."

Sydney lifted her own hand to her collarbone and soon found why he had been staring, two ragged circles of scar tissue usually covered by the cut of her hair, brushed her finger tips and she suppressed a shudder. She looked over his shoulder and for a moment she could see Dawn standing there, ugly and decaying and so very terrifying.

As distracted as she was it took her a moment to notice that Adrian had reached for her once more. This time his fingers instead touched her cheek, brushing her blonde hair out of her eyes and tucking it behind her ear.

Sometime it still surprised her that his touch was warm and even more that it was comforting.

He was staring again and Sydney shifted under his gaze, it reminded her powerfully of a conversation about her eyes and molten gold and the word beautiful being used far too seductively.

Suddenly, he snapped out of it and the moment broke. "That's it!" He exclaimed.

Put off by the abrupt change Sydney wasn't particularly articulate in her reply, "What's it?" she mimicked.

He turned from her and snatched up a stand that lay abandoned on the floor, "I know what to do." He paused as he snapped the legs into place, "Thanks Sage, you can go." He grinned, supremely happy about something.

Caught off guard and thoroughly confused Sydney merely nodded, he seemed to forget her completely then as he went about rounding up art supplies, paints and oils and pens, when she finally closed the door to his apartment and made her way back to Latte she was still wondering at the oddity of Adrian Ivashkov.

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><p>"Hey Sydney!" The Alchemist looked up to see Jill cutting across the quad to meet her, Angeline was in tow, the Dhamphir still kitted out in the Amberwood uniform that seemed unfamiliar to her.<p>

"Yeah Jill?" Sydney answered, as the Moroi girl reached her side, "What's wrong?"

"Have you talked to Adrian today?" She asked and seeing the dark circles and slightly exhausted slump to the girls shoulders Sydney had a fair idea of why she wanted to know.

She frowned disapprovingly, "No, not since yesterday afternoon, why? What has he done to you now?"

Jill dismissed this with a wave, as Angeline caught up to them and stepped into their little group, "Nothing I swear, no drinking or anything, but he was up all night and his emotions were all over the place."

"Which explains why you look like death warmed up." Sydney commented dryly.

"I'm not complaining," Jill answered, "He's really happy now, but kinda nervous, so I just wondered if you knew what was going on with him."

Sydney shrugged, "No, like I said I haven't seen him since yesterday, but he'll be at Sonya's for lunch and you'll see him tonight at the college."

"What's tonight?" That was Angeline.

"The art show," Jill brightened, apparently she shared Adrian's love of art but wether it was due to the bond Sydney didn't know. "It's for the end of first semester, all the students had to submit a piece for the show and they get marks based on what the public thinks."

"I thought he didn't get marks?" The Dhampir asked.

"He doesn't," Jill answered, her disappointment for him showing through, "Not until next term but it still matters to him."

"Which I think is why he's roped us all into going tonight." Sydney commented.

"Even me?" Angeline asked.

"It was implied, you go where Jill goes." The Alchemist pretended not to see the spark of curiosity in the younger girls eye, it was doubtful the backwards Dhamphir had ever seen anything like an art exhibition before.

"In any case, Eddie and Micah are meeting us at the dorms tonight and we'll head in, I'll check in with Adrian at lunch for you, see if I can get him to take a nap." She directed the last at Jill who smiled in reply.

As it was, the opportunity never arrived, Adrian never made it to their lunch meeting and Sydney was more then a little irate with him, even though Sonya seemed to take the snub with good grace and Dimitri looked almost relieved.

By the time that evening rolled around, Jill's exhaustion had worsened and Sydney was more then considering giving Adrian a piece of her mind regardless of his big night.

They met Eddie and Micah like planned and everyone ended up piling into Latte to make the trip across town. The good thing about having the human boy present was his infectious attitude, by the time they reached the college, the rest of their group were in good spirits again.

Signs at the entrances directed them to a large concrete building on the west campus, light streaming from the doors, conversations between people from inside echoing in the large place.

They'd all dressed nice for the occasion although that was how Sydney always dressed so it was no chore for her; Angeline was struggling the most and kept fiddling with the hem of her skirt, which she had deemed "unfitting for ass kicking." Which made Sydney roll her eyes and Jill giggle.

Once inside the hall, they made a short stop at the snack table before Jill led them easily through the crowd until she found Adrian's presence and wrapped him in a big hug.

He smiled tiredly, looking as usual, handsome in an expensive silk shirt and tie and returned the embrace, "Hey Jailbait, you guys made it."

"Which is more then I can say for you," Sydney muttered darkly. Was it just her imagination or did he look nervous to see her.

"I've already given my apologies to Sonya, Sage." He answered simply.

"Anyway," Eddie interrupted, it seemed he'd finished his assessment of the exits and relaxed a little as he reached Jill's side, "Let's look around shall we."

Jill nodded, "Where's your piece Adrian?" She asked.

"Save the best for last." he grinned, "Have a look around first."

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><p>It didn't take long for Sydney to be left on her own, for some reason her friends seemed to find her deconstruction of the works, by style, period and inspiration to be "sucking the fun" out of it.<p>

And so when Adrian found her critiquing an oil painting of bright red cubes and yellow swirls she was unaccompanied.

"This-"she said as he stepped to her side,"-is just all wrong, how do you end up mixing 3rd century Greeks with classic French? It's insulting."

He smirked at her, "Can't you just look at something and say it's pretty Sage?" he asked. "Or does everything have to be historically correct?"

"I don't see," she peered at him closely, "why things can't be pretty _and_ historically correct."

He laughed at her, making him yawn in tiredness which reminded Sydney that she was supposed to be annoyed at him. "Where were you today?" she asked.

"Busy," he answered, "I had to finish my piece."

"You made a new one? Why?"

"Inspiration, as the scholars say." He mocked her lofty tone.

She rolled her eyes at him, "Anything to get out of doing something actually worth wile." Perhaps she'd been harsh for her words seemed to hurt him for a moment.

Finally he smiled wryly, "You probably know all there is to know about art Sage," he looked her in the eye, "but I bet you couldn't do any to save your life."

He walked away from her then and she was left looking at the brightly coloured works covering all the walls and silently agreeing with him.

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><p>"I didn't get the red square thing," Micah said, as he nibbled on the corner of his fifth canapé, "That's all it was, a red square, what's artistic about that?"<p>

Eddie laughed his eye still ahead on Jill, so as not to loose her in the crowd of family members, students and friends, "You sound like Sydney."

"I liked it," Angelina shrugged, she wasn't nibbling her food at all, more like swallowing it whole and impressively not spilling any anywhere. "It was to the point."

"Well of course," Micah answered, "but what was the point again?"

"Hey you guys!" That was Jill from ahead, who had stopped along the end of one of the last displays, she waved them over, her face bright. "I found it."

The two Dhampir's and their human joined the Moroi girl a few moments later and surveyed her discovery.

"Is that who I think it is?" Eddie asked curiously as Micah leaned forward to read the small card on the table next to the large canvas, which was painted into sixteen squares with various shades of brown, amber and gold.

"The Alchemist?" he read out loud, "by Adrian Melrose."

"Yup, I'd say it is." Jill was smiling, but there was also a confused, curious curve to her brow.

"What's an Alchemist?" Micah asked

"A weakling," Angeline answered.

Eddie shot her a glare, "Middle-Ages chemists," he answered, "tried to turn lead into gold, that kind of stuff."

"Hmm," the red head stepped back to take a better look, putting on his best connoisseur face, "I like it, it's really detailed." The others nodded in agreement, "I wonder what Sydney would think?" he asked.

"Don't know," Eddie shook his head, "but I ain't mediating."

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><p>The night was winding down, Sydney realised and she was yet to find her group once more, as she perused the last of the artworks she found herself struggling with Adrian's concept of simply looking at what she was seeing. As she passed an odd looking sculpture that reminded her of the ones in Saint Petersburg square, she almost missed the painting next to it.<p>

For a moment she stopped in confusion, there was something distinctly familiar about the subject of this work. Divided into sixteen squares, each box contained the same image. An eye.

Actually, they weren't the same, she realised as she looked closer, each eye was different but the same, the colours in each varied in the smallest of ways, the shape and the lighting all of it showed a different emotion in each square.

She reached the last and blinked in surprise as she looked at the small title card next to the piece.

_The Alchemist_

"Like it?" A soft voice asked from behind her. Sydney almost jumped a foot in the air, her old fears about vampires appearing from nothing flooding her mind as she realised that Adrian stood barely a breath from her, watching her closely with those powerful emerald eyes.

Once she got her heart rate under control she struggled for an answer, which was a surprise in itself, it wasn't easy to make Sydney Sage speechless. "Uhh…"

Adrian smiled, "I'll take that as a no," he looked away from her.

"You," she stuttered, "painted this last night?"

He looked back and nodded, "Yep," he answered.

Huh. So apparently she wasn't the only one reminded of their post-Strigoi conversation.

"It's…detailed."

He studied her face for a moment before bursting out with laugher; Sydney blushed as the last of the patrons around them looked around in surprise.

"Really," Adrian asked as he settled, "because all I could think last night was how it _wasn't_." he put stress on the last word, "how no matter how I tried I couldn't capture it all." He gestured to the painting unhappily. There was something in his expression.

Her eyes followed his back to the canvas, he tapped the third square along the third row, "The moment you nearly died," he tapped the fourth in the second row. "The moment you realised I was screwing up the interviews, you were _disappointed_!" the word seemed to come as a shock to him. "In _me_." He said for unneeded clarification.

He turned back to her and tapped the second square, his voice was softer, "When I agreed to the auditing, you were so…_proud_." The last was softest of all.

Sydney swallowed. Her jaw seemed to be stuck solid. Was this one of his Spirit induced rambling she wondered?

Once again another one of their conversations descended into awkwardness. The silence seemed to physically pain him, he was looking at her with those eyes so full of…everything and she couldn't form thought or words.

"Well, I think it's magnificent." Both human and Moroi looked up in surprise at the new yet familiar voice.

Sonya Karp was striding towards them, her auburn hair tied into a messy bun on her head, a pale blue flashy dress clung to her body and most intriguing of all was her companion. Dimitri Belikov walked not a few steps behind her.

The Moroi Spirit user stopped just before the painting and clasped her hands happily, "The eyes are the window to the soul as they say, or Spirit more accurately."

Sydney as usual decided to focus on practical matters and ignore the questions between her and Adrian, "What are you doing here?" she asked.

Dimitri answered, "It was her idea."

Sonya elaborated, "Well I had to see what was worth missing my lunch to work on," She looked at Adrian kindly, it was honesty in her statement not a barb, "now I see." She nodded at him, "Well done young man."

Sydney looked at Dimitri with a raised eyebrow and he shrugged, of course wherever Sonya went, he would to, if only to protect her. _They come first._

"Thanks," Adrian said earnestly, rubbing the back of his neck he shot Sydney a look, who quickly avoided his gaze and continued, "We should probably find the others, you guys will miss curfew soon."

Sydney nodded in agreement and as much as she hated to suggest knowing how uncomfortable the car ride would be, "Do you want me to drop you home?" she asked quietly.

Adrian smiled at her but it didn't reach his eyes, "What? And deny the fine county bus drivers my presence, I don't think so Sage. I'll see you around. Say goodbye to jailbait for me."

He thanked Sonya and nodded stiffly at Dimitri and didn't spare her a second glance as he made his exit.

She watched him go, pondering his early words about pretty things before Sonya spoke, "If you could see you aura, dear." She said wistfully.

Sydney didn't think she wanted to know.


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks for any and all comments, flames welcome. **Don't own, Dont sue.**  
><strong>

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><p><strong>Chapter 2<strong>

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><p>Sydney Sage was doing her best to ignore the start of a new day when her cell phone rang, hiding under the standard burgundy and grey covers of Amberwood Academy, in her new private dorm room, the last thing she needed was a call from her father.<p>

But she got it anyway.

"Sydney?"

"Yes father?"

"Your requests for those files came across my desk." She almost sighed, she highly doubted that it was a coincidence, her father was checking up on her and she couldn't even force herself to believe it was from parental concern.

"And?" She asked simply.

"The alchemist you should be talking to is named Horace Meyer, he worked the LA area abut fifteen years ago, he's stationed in Nebraska now." Hmm, going from the vampire hotspot that was Los Angels to the backwards barbs of the Midwest, Sydney guessed that Mr Meyers had been on the end of a serious demotion.

"Did his files bring up any of the flags I searched for?"

"No, but that doesn't mean he doesn't know anything, we've arranged for him to come visit you in Palm Springs, pass on first hand information."

That was a little odd; Alchemists weren't usually overly social, even with each other. It would be an inconvenience to remove another Alchemist from his post when it could be settled with a telephone call. Sydney as usual, declined to comment.

"And what about those financial records I asked for?"

"We're still working on it, the vampire in question wasn't considered of much interest before now, so it'll take some time."

Things sure did get interesting fast when you killed half a dozen people in the space of five years; the Alchemist's might regret putting someone as useless as Keith in command of the area now.

"Thanks."

"Congratulations on your new post." The words were still stiff even through the telephone line and Sydney could imagine her father's expression when he said it. Surly he didn't regret her dethroning of Keith Darnell? "Try not to disappoint me this time."

The line went dead and Sydney blinked, a familiar burn of irritation began in her shoulders, which she quickly repressed "Love you too dad," she spat sarcastically to herself. At least the fact he hadn't mentioned her younger sister, Zoë's, status meant that the youngest Sage was still free of the Alchemists, for now at least.

Giving in to the beginning of a new day, Sydney mentally started preparing for her lesson's while getting ready, as she tried and failed to tame her blonde hair, her phone rang once more. Expecting her father again she put of her best professional voice and was therefore surprised when Adrian's voice came to her through the line.

"You're never going to believe this, Sage."

She already couldn't, since the 'incident' at the art show, her and Adrian had avoided each other like the plague, they'd still been polite but each time she got a glimpse of his green eyes she could see the pain that she had accidentally caused, it made her chest tighten like an asthma attack.

It hadn't been intentional, how was she supposed to react? She didn't even really understand what had happened between them. But it scared her none the less; he was a vampire, a blood sucker and Satan in a Sunday hat.

But then why did she feel so guilty?

"Believe what?" she asked carefully, although his voice sounded chipper for the first time in weeks.

"I, Lord Adrian Ivashkov, wealth of delights, god to women everywhere—" Sydney rolled her eyes—"am now, gainfully, I might add, employed."

Her jaw dropped, she chocked on her reply. "No way." Maybe she'd picked up the expression from Jill?

"Way." He answered sounding smug even through the phone.

"How? Why? Who on earth?" Sydney breathed.

"Well it was easy really, I just strolled right in and demanded the job, the guy took one look at me and told me to sign up."

"Its not volunteering at alcoholics anonymous is it?"

He snorted, "Geeze, Sage," he chided, "give me a little credit, that'd be a little hypocritical of me, no, it's at a golf range."

There was a pause.

"A golf range?"

"Yup."

"You don't know how to play golf." Sydney pointed out levelly.

"Duh," Sydney suspected he was slapping his forehead, "neither does anyone who only plays at the range either, I can totally wing this."

Sydney sighed.

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><p>Due to her hectic school schedule coming up to the holidays Sydney didn't manage to get any free time until the weekend, when Amberwood campus was transformed into a sea of burgundy and grey, there was a football game tonight, Kristin and Julia had already tried to con her into going although it was unnecessary as she had already promised Trey that she would.<p>

So the morning before the game, she had breakfast with Jill, Eddie, Micah and Angeline, offering for them to come along and finding only two takers, Eddie (thereby freeing Angeline) and Jill, before slipping off campus finally and all piling into Latte for the short trip down town. By luck or coincidence the address was barely a few miles from the Amberwood premises.

When they pulled up out the front of 'The Sharks 4M Golf Range', Jill and Eddie were still discussing the semantics of Adrian sleeping with the boss to get the gig.

Sydney shushed them, as an elderly pair of golfers in bright shorts and funny hats exited the building, it was almost forty degrees out and the fact, that for once, Sydney, in her long sleeved button down top and black knee length skirt wasn't the most inappropriately dressed was a miracle. "Come on,"

The sound of swishing clubs and solid _thunks _from golf balls filled the small entry way as they declined the need for clubs and instead had to sign in before they were ascending the stairs.

Where they found Adrian Ivashkov, decked out in brightly patterned, white pants with matching gloves and a small beret that was tilted at the side and had a pom pom attached to the top.

Sydney managed to keep her face mostly unresponsive, only the smile on her lips showing how she felt while Eddie practically fell over laughing, Adrian watched unfazed as the Dhamphir clutched Jill to stay upright.

The Moroi Lord turned his attention to Sydney, "Isn't it great?" once again it took all her Alchemist control to keep a straight face, finally.

"It's great Adrian," she mimicked.

"Come on, let me show you around."

It actually turned out not to be a bad setup, the upstairs landing was a long rectangle edge, that opened out onto a long grass field with targets and their measurements placed at intervals, the rectangle was divided into eight different alcoves so the patrons could practice in peace, small dots of white covered the lawn in front of them, showing the used balls. The people milling about them were most often old and dressed just as Adrian or though Sydney admitted silently to herself that he brought something special to the look.

When they met Adrian's new boss, the rotund and very married, Mr "Shark" Renshaw all of Jill and Eddies past conversation seemed mute. The man slapped Adrian on the shoulder with a meaty hand. "He was perfect for it."

Judging by the amount of middle aged ladies at the range who seemed entirely too keen for a lesson with the Lord Ivashkov Sydney had a sneaking suspicion as to why. When they were offered a free round by Mr Renshaw, Eddie and Jill didn't waste anytime signing up.

Adrian found them some clubs and as Eddie swung his experimentally, Jill gave Adrian a quick hug, "I'm so proud of you." She gushed, the truth of her words ringing through their bond.

He squeezed her back and he seemed to genuinely agree, "Thanks Jailbait." He looked at Sydney and again their eyes met but she could only see a trace of the sadness from before. He smiled at her, "I knew Sage would be bugging me to get a job now classes are over."

"And you were right," she nodded, "you seem to get more annoying the less you have to do."

Adrian smiled down at Jill sneakily, "Where Sage gets more annoying the _more_ she has to do."

Jill giggled as Eddie hit a practice shot and mocked watching the imaginary ball fly off in the distance, "Come on you lot, let me beat you now, so we can get it over with." Always ready for a challenge Jill followed Eddie to their small section already bantering away, while Sydney used their distraction to look closer at Adrian who was putting the unused clubs away and dusting off the leggings of his pants.

He caught her watching and grinned, "What?"

She shook her blonde head, the light from the Palm Springs summer hitting her tattoo and making it shine gold for a second, it took a moment to admit, but finally she got the words out, "I'm glad we're talking again."

Adrian straightened, he looked at her, eyes serious yet warm, "We never stopped talking Sage."

"Yes we did," she countered, "we spoke, but we never…talked," and as she said it she realised the truth of how much that may have bothered her.

Adrian smiled at her, taking her arm as they walked to catch up with Jill and Eddie, "And you think I'm the crazy one." He joked.

Several hours and even more buckets of balls later, Eddie and Jill were still going, the shade of the their alcove protected Jill from the sun and Eddie's natural energy kept him powering through, also, a determination not to let the tall Moroi girl best him.

Sydney and Adrian had long ago struck out, despite Sydney proving to be just as good at this version of golf as she had at the mini one, the pair stood watching as Eddie lined up his shot, before taking a full blooded swing, sending the ball flying until it passed the 800M line, yet missed the target by a mile.

Jill was better at aiming but had less brute force; Sydney shook her head as Eddie tried to jokingly baulk the younger girls shot, a voice from behind them announced Adrian's appearance at the front desk was needed.

He, who had been standing next to her, turned and accidentally brushed her shoulder, "Be right back Sage." Her jaw tightened involuntarily at the contact.

She glanced at her watch, the sleeves of her business like blouse now rolled up to her elbows in the heat, they would need to leave soon, the game would start it little over an hour.

She glanced at Eddie and Jill and gave them a quick warning before disappearing from the room, in search of Adrian.

"I didn't think you were one for football Sage, too macho," he lifted his head and adopted a snobby air, "we proper men play gentlemen sports."

"Like golf?"

"Exactly like golf."

Sydney shrugged, "I'm not too much for sports whatever kind, but Jill and Eddie were going and you couldn't pay to keep Angeline away, plus one of my friends asked me to come watch him."

Adrian's shoulders tensed for a split second before he continued putting away clubs like nothing had happened, he straightened and flashed a smile at an elderly couple just leaving, making the woman blush, he kept his eyes off the Alchemist.

"Oh? Which friend would this be?"

Sydney shrugged again, "Trey, you may remember him from the ill fated coffee shop expedition." She was genuinely unconcerned by this conversation, as Mr Renshaw stuck his head out from his office and nodded at Adrian's work ethic.

Adrian frowned, the pom pom on his hat swinging to the left as he tilted his head, "I think I do, tall bloke, muscly, dark hair, had broken fingers."

"It was his hand actually," Sydney answered, "but yeah." She didn't know wether it was his description or her answer that brought the dark look to Adrian's eye, it would only occur to her later that when put like that, Trey Juarez sounded remarkably like Dimitri Belikov.

"Right." Suddenly his tone wasn't so cheerful, but stiff, if not impolite. He turned his back to her and started sorting the score cards.

Sydney frowned, she had the sudden feeling that she'd screwed up somehow, again, for a moment the memory of his sad eyes and their momentary awkward relationship shot through her mind.

She hadn't liked that. Not at all.

So as he turned to move a new stack of cards into a fresh pile, she caught his arm.

He looked at her and once again they were stuck staring at one another. The skin under her fingers felt warm and so un-vampiric, the muscles tense and hard even without manual labour to shape them.

Adrian to his credit, almost seemed used to staring at her, he looked from her eyes to the place where she was touching him, her fingers curled around his forearm.

He might have to do a sequel artwork just to catch all the expressions he saw.

Sydney knew she wanted to say something she just didn't know what, for a moment her normally busy brain had gone blank "Sorry." sounded right but she wasn't sure what she was apologising for. Being friends with Trey? Her reaction to Adrian's artwork? The simple fact that she had hurt him and hadn't really understood how?

Unfortunately she would never get the chance to figure it out, for the next second he had caught her fingers and pulled her closer to him, kissing her and driving the sound of all apologies from her lips.

That familiar tightness in her chest seemed to be compacting; she couldn't breath and didn't think it had anything to do with Adrian stealing all her oxygen. His lips fit against hers in a way that made her whole body tense.

Sydney Sage never did anything without thinking, until that moment, she was kissing him back and for a single second she wasn't thinking about the Alchemists or the Moroi or all the complications they had just brought down on their heads, only about him and his lips.

Until she did.

_Vampire._

Then she pulled away in horror.

Her mind reeled and Adrian looked equally stunned at the loss of contact between them, although for different reasons. What had happened between them couldn't have lasted more then a few seconds and none of the golfers around them seemed to notice anything odd about two attractive young people displaying affection, but Sydney sure did.

She backed away from him as quickly as she could and not a moment too soon, for Eddie and Jill appeared just then still laughing and joking about their scores. Adrian whose lips were still parted snapped his jaw shut at their arrival but he couldn't stop himself from staring.

Sydney's amber eyes were wide with fear; her hand had jumped involuntarily to the golden cross hidden under the collar of her shirt. Eddie and Jill didn't seem to notice anything, even with the bond the Moroi was too caught up in her emotions to notice Adrian's ones for the moment.

"Are we going Sydney?" Eddie asked casually.

And for a moment her eyes flicked back to Adrian's and he could practically read her mind.

_No, no, no. That did not just happen!_

It felt like his heart was breaking all over again and for a moment he almost let that consume him, before somehow he managed to keep it together and stood straight, putting on his most neutral expression and smiling at Eddie and Jill. "Yeah, you guys should come by again another day; I reckon we could get you hired on."

Exited at the prospect, Jill and Eddie discussed nothing else as Sydney walked them back to Latte, it was only once they were all buckled it and the Alchemist still hadn't started the car that Jill noticed her expression.

"Sydney?" she asked concerned, "Is everything alright?"

For a moment she couldn't move and then she fit the key into the ignition and nodded stiffly. "Fine Jill."

But in truth, she was so afraid, so confused and so…disgusted with herself she couldn't breathe.

* * *

><p>Jill lay in her dorm bed, listening to Angeline recount the game for the third time, "And then <em>Crunch<em>!" the Moroi girl had never heard her Dhamphir companion so happy about something, but she figured the violence of football must appeal to her.

"I should totally try out, I could beat half those guys," Jill felt a stirring through the bond, and answered distractedly, "You're a girl Angeline, you can't play with them."

"Why not?" what was up with Adrian? Jill wondered, she felt something through their connection, he was on the move she could tell, the bus maybe, he was determined about something and she didn't feel that emotion often, only once before they had come to Palm Springs, more times since but not enough for it to be normal.

What was he doing? "Because you're a girl, it's against the rules."

Jill frowned, knowing she shouldn't be prying, but curiosity getting the better of her as Angeline started of an obscenity filled rant directed at the school staff. "And a Dhamphir, it would be unfair to the humans your playing against." She knew Sydney could have come up with a more convincing argument, but that only brought to mind the odd antics of her Alchemist friend from this evening, apparently Adrian wasn't the only one acting unusual.

Eddie had brushed it off, but Sydney had been almost completely silent since they had come back from the golf range. Where she was talking to Adrian, Jill realised, hopefully they hadn't had another fight.

Jill had experienced only a little of the aftermath from the art show, she suspected because Adrian was trying to keep his feelings from her, but there was no hiding the older Moroi had been hurt by something.

Sydney probably, although even Jill hadn't known how to react to Adrian's apparent obsession with her friends eyes or what he had meant by painting them and putting it only display.

There it was again, that sense of determination, and familiarity, was that the school? Was Adrian here at Amberwood? There was a rush of magic that could only be Spirit.

Then she felt a familiar presence.

Sydney.

Adrian had reached his destination.

* * *

><p>"You need to get out of here," she sighed exasperated as Trey Juarez, hero of Amberwood, who threw what she was told, was a dime pass for a touch down in the final minutes. Frankly it had all sounded like Greek coming from Kristen although that wasn't really accurate as Sydney spoke Greek better than most.<p>

Trey ignored her as he lounged at her desk, surveying her room and its distinct lack of personal touches, "I still wonder how you got a dorm all to yourself," he had snuck in through the window about fifteen minutes ago and Sydney had been trying to shoo him from her room since, the last things she needed tonight was him, no, what she needed, was to prey.

A headache was building behind her eyes as he continued, "You must know some pretty special people Melbourne and I don't mean Tewilliger."

She glared at him, now thoroughly fed up as he strode across the room, to sit on her bed, she winced as his muddy shorts hit the bedspread, she was going to have to do an emergency clean after the quarterback had vacated her room. "Would you please just get out?"

"Is this how you treat all your guests?" he asked.

"Only the ones who come in from my window uninvited." She said darkly, crossing her arms and adopting her best scary face.

Trey snorted, tossing his dark hair out of his eyes and laying back, tucking one arm behind his head, "It's the weekend Melbourne, and I just won us a spot in the finals if you didn't notice."

"I did actually," that was a lie; she'd been too distracted even when Julia had gushed in her ear. "Now please, go." It was maybe the defeat in her voice, which alerted Trey that she wasn't in the mood for banter. He sat up and looked at her.

"You okay Sydney?" he asked.

She looked at him and for a moment considered yelling that, no, she wasn't okay, she'd just made out with a vampire party boy and would quickly find herself in a re-education centre if she wasn't careful, which certainly weren't as educational as the name suggested.

But of course, being her, she merely nodded, "I'm fine, just not in the mood, I promise you can sneak back into room another time okay." Maybe it wasn't a good idea to put these thoughts into his head but she'd do about anything to get rid of him.

Trey nodded, finally and hopped to his feet, boots still flecked with mud, he strode to the door and opened it, glancing back at her he said, "And remember Melbourne my coffee offer still stands, whenever you want."

That's when Adrian turned up and Sydney would have given anything to have Trey back in her room.

* * *

><p>The two men surveyed each other; Trey looked cool and polite and smiled at Adrian whose eyes were scornful in a way Sydney had never seen, "What's up man?" Trey asked warmly.<p>

Of course, he only thought Adrian was her brother, he didn't see that she would need serious protecting from this situation or that Adrian was looking at him with masked dislike.

When Adrian didn't reply, Trey shrugged, turned to nod at Sydney once more and loped out, leaving them alone and Sydney wondering how he intended to get past the dorm nurse.

"We need to talk."

Sydney turned her back on him, she couldn't do this now, she had to figure this all out first, plan her argument, potentially with dot points and a PowerPoint presentation on why she had been so ridiculously stupid for just one moment in her life.

But when Adrian closed the door behind them and stood, his presence seeming to take up the entire room, she knew there would be no reprieve.

"How did you get past the dorm warden?" she asked quietly, stalling for time.

"Compulsion," he answered calmly.

Sydney felt sick, _magic_, _vampire_, _unnatural_ what had she done?

"How did _he_ get in?" the way he asked it, made it obvious who he meant.

"Window," she answered quietly.

"How romantic," he answered.

"I'm sorry," The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them, something about being alone, locked in a room, surrounded by his emotions, _vampire_. The words seemed to catch him off guard and his posture slipped a little.

"For what?" He recovered, to ask calmly. Not Trey he knew.

She looked aghast for a moment as if actually mentioning what had happened between them was blasphemous, "For letting it happen, it was stupid and idiotic and—"

He cut her off before she went through her entire thesaurus of words for stupid, each one cutting him just a little deeper. "No it wasn't." he said firmly.

Adrian Ivashkov had never been accused of being confrontational before and yeah maybe avoidance would have been the best strategy for peace here but he couldn't seem to stomach that idea. He couldn't pretend it hadn't happened.

Maybe he was a masochist.

"Yes, it was." She answered just as quickly. There was desperation in her eyes that he could have painted; her lily tattoo glittered dully in the light from her desk lamp. It was dark outside, the middle of the morning for him, not for her.

"You should never have done it!" for a moment her anger sparked before she weakened again, "I should never have let it happen," she seemed to be ranting at herself and Adrian let her finish. "It's wrong, and unnatural and just…messed up!" seeing her so ineloquent would have previously been amusing to him but the desperation in her tone drove him nuts.

"Maybe," he admitted, crossing his arms. He may be one for breaking rules, hell Dhampir's he'd been with, loved even and there may have been an occasional human girl at the blackjack table in Vegas he'd made out with a little too enthusiastically. He wouldn't deny that some Moroi used feeder's for more then just sustenance.

This however, was different and he knew it, she wasn't just some human and this wasn't a snack with something on the side. A Human and a Moroi, in an actual relationship was improbable and scandalous, an Alchemist and a Moroi, their second most hated enemy, impossible. Wrong. Just like she had said. Yet…

"I don't regret it." That was the truth, how could he? If Sydney Sage was any other girl he'd would have kissed her a long time ago, he would have flirted and taken her on dates and they'd probably be a happy couple by now. The problem was of course, that she wasn't just any other girl.

And the fact that they could never have that hurt him more then he expected.

"I know the consequences and I'm willing to work around them." There. She liked practicality right?

"Are you insane!" apparently not. "That is the most idiotic thing I've ever heard, 'work around them,'" she mimicked, throwing her hands in the air, her cross had come loose from her shirt and now hung against her collarbone. "What happened between us was the vilest thing I've ever experienced." She was furious and her eyes flashed. "It was a mistake and it will never happen again!"

_Vampire._

_Blood sucker._

_Evil._

He didn't know who she was trying to convince, his own anger flared, lying, she was lying he knew. "You don't mean that!" he argued back, "your just lying to yourself Sydney!" he had felt it hadn't he, she had kissed him back, she had felt it to.

He took a step towards her, and the room was suffocating, Spirit came to his aid once again in an emotional situation, showing him her aura, her feelings. Afraid, angry and hateful, of herself or him he wasn't sure. "You kissed me back," maybe it was a childish argument but none the less honest, "you wanted it as much as I did." Didn't she? For a moment he faulted, but then she shook her head desperately and he finished his thought.

"A coward like always." He said voice not loud like hers but twice as frightening.

She backed up from him again and maybe it was his tone or his posture or the fact that when he spoke she could see his fangs. _Vampire, evil, run Sydney, run._ He scared her, what she felt for him scared her and what she would say next she would only regret.

"You made me. You compelled me!" she chocked out.

Silence.

The fight left him and he looked stunned, just like he had when she had broken their kiss, like his entire world had just fallen from under his feet, his green eyes filled in seconds with pain.

If she thought sadness had been hard to endure?

He stepped back from her, the first time he had retreated, he didn't look at her and Sydney didn't think he could even if he tried. Regret filled her veins and she wanted at once to take it back, to apologise and beg for forgiveness, but her jaw was stuck she couldn't bring the words from her head to her lips, the heft of a thousand Alchemist teachings weighing her down.

By the time he had backed off from her, fled from the room, leaving the door shut upon his exit Sydney Sage was quite certain he wasn't the evil one, the monster.

Truly, she was in fact sure that she was the worst person in the entire universe right about now.

Alchemists didn't cry.

But Sydney Sage did.


	3. Chapter 3

A/n: A little gore and swearing in this chapter, just a warning.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 3<strong>

* * *

><p>It was raining, one o'clock in the morning and Adrian Ivashkov was in a mental battle of wills with a bottle of scotch.<p>

Just one more wouldn't hurt.

It had been over a week since he had last spoken to Sydney Sage, in her dorm room, telling her that he wanted them to be together, that he wanted her.

In had been over a week since she had thrown that back in his face.

"You compelled me!" that's what she had said, compelled, made her, forced her to kiss him back.

He hadn't. Wouldn't ever, but clearly she believed he would, worse then that, she maybe hoped he would so she could explain away their passionate kiss without hating herself as much as she hated his kind.

He broke.

Adrian poured himself another glass; he sat at his kitchen bench in what had previously been Keith Darnell's apartment. Rain pounded on the roof and pattered on the windows, there was a storm outside his door. Weather such as this didn't come to Palm Springs often.

He took a sip as his mind slid from Sydney to Jill, she would be feeling his late night antics tomorrow, but it was the weekend, the last weekend before the holidays for Amberwood students. Not that that made him feel any better about what he was putting her through.

She was the reason for the restraint, he'd had his heart broken before and then nothing had stopped him from boozing and sleazing the night away. Except now he was bound, Jill was Shadow-kissed and everything he did affected her.

He wondered if Jill knew about what happened with Sydney.

Their friends weren't oblivious, neither were the colleagues, Sonya had come right out and commented on his aura the first time they had all been together to discuss the case.

While Eddie, Micah and Jill had been more discreet, the latter had merely hugged him and offered to talk, the others in typical guy fashioned hadn't said anything at all but the guardian had slapped him on the shoulder and said something cliché about women.

Angeline, on the other hand, hadn't noticed anything was off about their reactions around one another, in her opinion, Sydney was an "unfeeling bitch to everyone" or so she had said some time back.

But the Alchemist herself had been the worst. The first day after they're talk she had looked at him with such feeling, such aguish and for a second he thought she was going to apologise, he hoped. But then no, her face had turned to marble and her eyes, usually so expressive to him, went as dim as pebbles in the rain. She'd barley looked at him since.

Adrian was just considering having a fifth, weighing the pros and cons when there was a sound out of place among the rain and thunder.

A knock at the door.

Adrian paused, his green eyes flicking to the clock, it was late, almost two and for a moment the images of Strigoi, of Dawn and her fangs in Sydney's throat sprung to mind before he quickly told himself that the undead kind of vampire wouldn't bother to knock.

The sound didn't repeat again as he listened and he had almost shrugged it off, when there was a particularly loud _thump!_ that sounded from his landing. Lightening briefly illuminated the path to the door and Adrian stood up, finishing his glass of scotch in one go.

When he reached the door and peered through the peephole, he saw nothing but the ugly wallpaper of the hall looking back at him. Once again he almost dismissed the sounds as oddities of the storm when with his superior Moroi hearing he picked up the sound of a voice.

"Ad…rian."

Sydney.

He wrenched the door open and she had apparently been leaning against it because she practically fell at his feet.

"Fuck."

* * *

><p>Had she been in any other position she probably would have chastised him for swearing, but truthfully the obscenity pretty quickly summed up the situation.<p>

She was covered in blood and water, undoubtedly from the rain and she didn't seem able to hold herself up any longer.

Adrian crouched down, reaching for her but stopping his hands short, afraid to touch her, afraid to know. He tried conjuring it, feeling inside himself for Spirit, desperate, as he had only been only once before when Jill had needed him.

There was no answer and he knew he had drunk away his powers for the evening, he cursed again, and instead slid forward to put his arms around her, his heart clenching as she whimpered in pain as he lifted her.

Adrian wished, not for the first time for a Dhamphirs strength as he struggled to carry her to the couch, her clothes, business like as usual were stained with dirt and blood and he noticed for the first time, the gold cross around her neck was absent.

"Ad-rian," she tried to speak again, there was blood covering the left side of her face, turning her hair coppery red, "D-imitri." The sound of her voice was urgent but lacked the explanation he needed.

"D-imitri trouble…" she was unconscious then, her head lolling against his hand as he forced his addled brain to think.

A few minutes later he retrieved her cell phone from the pocket of her pants, it was a little damp but still functioned and scrolled down till he found the Dhamphirs number.

It rang out and he tried three more times, leaving messages. Nothing. Then he called Sonya, the spirit user answered almost immediately.

"Sydney, thank god, I was so worried something had happened." His voice froze in his throat.

"Sonya,"

"Adrian?"

He did his best to explain, telling he didn't know where Dimitri was and what had happened to Sydney.

The woman promised to find the missing Dhamphir and would be right over, Adrian nodded dutifully, and hung up.

For a few moments he stood there looking down at Sydney's unconscious form, phone clutched in hand and then finally he snapped out of it.

As he moved swiftly to the bathroom, he dialled Eddies cell, it was Micah's voice who answered and he sounded groggy, "What man? It's like three in the morning."

"Put Eddie on. Now." His voice left no room for argument and soon Adrian had passed on the news to the young guardian.

"Do you think it was Strigoi?" was his first question.

Adrian considered it, there was certainly enough blood, but they seemed from injuries rather than bites, but maybe the news of Sydney's bad blood had gotten out and they hadn't bothered biting her? And what else could possibly take out Belikov?

He didn't know for sure, "I don't know." He admitted, "Could be."

Eddies voice was hard and professional now, and Adrian could hear the sounds of complaining roommates, Eddie, no doubt, was on his way to Jill. "Is she alright?"

Adrian thought of Sydney, bloody and unconscious and still and for a moment he couldn't move, couldn't breathe or speak. Then it passed and he answered. "I think so. Get over here as fast as you can."

Nothing else was said and Adrian disconnected as he opened the bathroom cabinet. While he didn't have the foresight to stock first-aid supplies a certain ex-Alchemist had and as Adrian found a fully stocked medical box he was grateful for Keith Darnell in that moment.

When he returned to the couch, Sydney was awake again, she feebly caught his wrist, "Adrian, Dimitri, you have to find Dimitri."

He pried her fingers off him and crouched down to her level as he started bringing out the medical supplies, "Already got people on it." He was surprised to find himself worried too about Belikov's well-being.

He used a towel from the bathroom, yellow like the walls, to wipe the blood from her face as carefully as he could; revealing a small but deep gash over her eye, some tape and pressure later and he had managed to get the blood to stop.

At some point the Alchemist had passed out again and as he gently lifted her hands to see they were a mess of blood and bone, he couldn't help but whisper "Christ Sage," more proof that she was unresponsive, "What the hell happened to you?" He did the best he could for her fingers and palms but knew it was beyond his help.

He brushed the blonde hair out of her eyes and set a damp cloth on her forehead, her lily tattoo was briefly illuminated by a flash of lightning from outside.

The sight of her blood nearly made him hurl, which, he would realise later, was ironic for a vampire, but as he undid the buttons on her shirt with shaky hands, he realised that nothing could scare him more then the sight of Sydney Sage, bleeding.

The front of her chest was fine, even though some blood had soaked through her shirt and stained the skin, it was only when he very carefully rolled her onto her side he realised the damage.

He needed another drink.

He didn't know if she'd hit something or more likely been thrown into something, but the mass of black and blue that covered her shoulder blades and the curve of her spine made him dizzy, like looking at a magic eye.

It happened to him then, just like in the bathroom, he couldn't move or breathe and he couldn't function. Frozen he was.

With fear.

Desperately he tried again, tried to summon his magic, he could feel it like always, pressing on the back of his scull, but didn't feel its rush or warmth within his reach. No, it was still deserting him.

Fuck alcohol, Adrian swore he would never drink again.

When the sound of her phone ringing echoed through his apartment, Adrian almost jumped a foot in the air, the rain outside was increasing and he could barely see the street outside his windows.

He answered.

"Adrian, I've got Dimitri, he's fine mostly, we're coming to you now, shouldn't be more then an hour or so."

A small weight lifted off his chest. Dimitri was okay.

He managed to thank Sonya and update her on Sydney's injuries before hanging up.

"Adrian?" maybe the phone had roused her but in any case he was at her side in a second, leaning close to her, touching her as gently as he could.

"I'm here, Sage."

It seemed to take all her strength to lift her hand to his cheek but she did it anyway, tracing the lines of his face with her bloody fingers, down his cheek bones and over his lips.

He shivered.

"I'm sorry." She whispered.

He caught her ruined hand and lowered it gently back to the couch, "You should be," he breathed, "you scared the life out of me Sage," he waited a beat then smiled at her, "Get it Sage? Life? Cause I'm a vampire." She looked like she wanted to laugh but maybe it was too painful, instead she spoke again.

"I'm bleeding all over your new couch."

Adrian snickered, shifting, if possible, closer to her still, "You best stay alive then, I'll have to make you clean it."

She coughed, and pain flashed through her eyes at the movement of her chest, but she managed to answer "With pine cleaner." She seemed to find that funny, but Adrian didn't know why.

Silence fell and he reached out his hand to her once more, slipping his fingers under the collar of her shirt and to her collarbone, there was no familiar touch of heavy gold. Her throat was bare.

"Must have fallen off," she whispered. More like torn off Adrian thought, still the skin beneath his hand was warm if wet from the rain, he'd done his best to dry her without causing her more pain. It was a wonder she was letting him touch her so freely, at full health he never would have dared.

"I'll get you a new one." He promised.

She was unconscious again and he wondered if she had heard him at all.

* * *

><p>When Eddie, Jill and Angeline had arrived, the storm was just beginning to wane. The Moroi princess had by-passed him without a glance for the first time and went straight for the Alchemist.<p>

Eddie stepped into the room, surveying the space for threats, Angeline, was similarly on guard but still asked, "You can't heal her?"

If only she knew how much those words burned him.

"Sydney?" that was Jill who had taken over Adrian's vidual at her side.

"She'll be okay." That was Eddie, protective even of Jill's feelings.

"Do we know?' Angeline asked, "Was it the Lost Ones?"

Adrian looked confused.

"Strigoi?" she clarified, annoyed.

Adrian shrugged, "I don't know." He hadn't thought to ask Sonya when they had talked. "But Dimitri's okay." He said to Eddie who allowed himself that small relief.

It occurred to Adrian that Eddie wouldn't be the only guardian worried about his colleagues state, Rose would be as well.

Thinking her name, usually took all of him, one name and his head was flooded with images of her, memories of her, but this time all he could think of was Sydney, bloody and dieing on his couch, of the feel of her fingers as she touched his face.

Of their kiss.

* * *

><p>Sonya and Dimitri arrived within the hour, the Dhamphir hadn't however, come though unharmed, his face bore the marks of a confrontation. A black eye and a busted lip and something about the way he was walking told them that his leg was hurt too.<p>

Sonya's spirit had been pouring into the Alchemist only a few seconds before Sydney's eyes snapped open. Adrian knew straight away what would happen.

"Don't!" It must have caused her great pain to sit up, but Sydney none the less caught Sonya's hands and pushed them away from her.

Her fingers resembled fingers once again but the cut on her head had started bleeding again, although it was far shallower than before.

In an instant all Adrian's anger at her rushed back. "Damn it Sage!"

He had never disliked her so much.

Oddly it was Jill who came to the rescue; she jumped up from her spot at Sydney's side, "Let's give them some privacy to talk."

By the look on Adrian's face no one else was willing to argue, they quickly retreated into the bedroom.

* * *

><p>"What happened?" Eddie asked practically the moment the door shut behind them, although wether it was out of urgency or a desire to cover the muffled sound of yelling from the other room wasn't known.<p>

"Was it Strigoi?" Jill asked quietly.

Dimitri shook his dark head, his eyes troubled, "No, they were human." He didn't seem comfortable discussing this, with particularly Jill and Angeline present.

That shocked everyone, other than Sonya who of course, had already been told.

"What? Like muggers?" Eddie spoke after a while.

Dimitri gave him a dark look, "Certainly not, they knew who we were and why we were there, weird thing is they seemed to be after me."

"Then how come, Sydney's the one who looks like she got in a fight with a brick wall, and lost."

Dimitri didn't look impressed at Jill's tone and answered calmly, "Because she tried to protect me, they had some kind of device, it was loud, so loud, I couldn't think or move, only once she got turned off did I see what had happened, I told Sydney to get out of there and she wisely did."

"Then what?" Jill asked

Dimitri and Sonya shared a look; it seemed the Dhamphir had reached his limits of sharing tonight.

Human's attacking Dhampirs and Alchemists?

One sentence came to Jill's mind and it seemed to speak with Clarence's voice.

_Vampire hunters._

* * *

><p>Somewhere along the line their conversation had degenerated and Adrian no longer knew what he was yelling at her about.<p>

Sydney, for her part hadn't moved, she was still sitting on his couch, answering his accusations as calmly as she could.

"What if you were dieing huh? Sage? Would you let somebody save you then?" Sydney was sure that the others must be able to hear their conversation, or at least his part of it.

"If that person was a doctor, yes." She answered coolly, her back still ached, if much less then it had before, but she was determined to keep it together she'd been touched enough by magic tonight.

Adrian looked like he wanted to throw something, he stepped towards her, seemed to think better of it and stopped just a few feet from her, his fingers curled into fists, his body shaking. "You are," he paused and seemed to be thinking, "the most stubborn, narrow minded, superstitious, selfish, pathetic, human being I have ever met."

Sydney winced from pain that wasn't physical. Stubborn? Yes, narrow minded? Well duh, selfish? She tried her best not to be, superstitious? She didn't really think that one was so bad. Especially surrounded by vampires. But pathetic? That stuck in her, respect was the most important thing to an Alchemist, she knew. As her father always said, pride was better than happiness.

Yet looking at his burning emerald eyes, she knew he didn't respect her, and god dammit, she cared.

If he hated her, that she could handle, if he found her boring or didn't like her attitude, she could cope, but as much as she hated to admit it, she wanted his respect, needed his respect.

And she no longer had it.

He saw the change in her demeanour at his words and for a moment he regretted them, didn't she understand? How selfish she was being? How fucking scared he'd been when she turned up on his doorstep?

No, he realised looking at her, she didn't.

Just like that the fight seemed to leave him and suddenly he was exhausted, both by the late hour and this argument, without another word he collapsed onto the couch next to her and let his hands hold up his head.

Silence stretched between them

"You were right," her voice was soft and if he hadn't been Moroi he probably wouldn't have heard it. He looked up from his hands.

"About what? The stubborn part?"

She seemed to struggle to get the words out, "No," she swallowed, "about the kiss."

And everyone said he had a tendency to change topics. He watched her then, as closely as he could, the way she sat forward to take pressure off her back, the slump of her shoulders that told him she was done fighting.

She seemed to take his silence as a bad thing, she looked over at him her eyes sad and showing the truth she'd fought against.

"I did want it."

Again, moving must have caused her great pain, but regardless, she didn't seem to regret pressing her lips to his.

Adrian held her like one would piece of glass, convinced she would break under his touch. Neither of them seemed concerned about anything else but each other, the fact that their friends could walk in on them at any moment seemed irrelevant compared the feel of their lips.

When finally they broke apart Adrian was left searching her eyes for answers, when he finally found them, it broke his heart

"But we can never be together."

All the arguments that came to mind seemed to die on his lips and all he could get out was, "Why?"

Pain flashed through her eyes again as she looked at him, mixed with fear, fear of something he could never understand.

Not for her immortal soul. But for her very mortal body and his and her mother's and her sisters. Fear of the Alchemists.

She wouldn't be the only one they would destroy to stop such a union, and she struggled with how to explain this to him. Finally a sad smile settled over her face as she answered.

"Because I'm selfish."

And that is all there was.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N; Just a small note, that I'm going to ignore Sydney's 'magic' in this story, one plotline too many. Thanks for all your comments guys, always welcome, good or bad.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 4<strong>

* * *

><p>"Morning Jailbait."<p>

"Ahh!" Jill almost fell from her perch in her bed at Adrian's abrupt appearance, he had plopped down at the end of her quilt, surprising her from sleep and scaring the living day lights out of her.

From across the room, Angeline launched their alarm clock at his head, which the Moroi Lord promptly dodged.

Jill opened a bleary eye and looked at him, he seemed as normal as ever and was munching on a bagel which was getting crumbs all over her bed spread, a Starbucks bag in his hand announced the presence of more breakfast treats, he wagged it at her tauntingly. "Time to rise and shine, I've got big plans for this evening."

"This evening?" Jill moaned, there was a cute guy in her room and she wasn't even wearing make-up, "why on earth did you have to wake us up twelve hours in advance?"

It was the last day of term and classes didn't start for—Jill glanced awkwardly at the abandoned alarm clock that now lay on the floor—three hours, what the hell could be so urgent? And for that matter…

"How did you even get here?" Adrian gave her a blithe look. "You didn't use compulsion did you?"

He snorted, "Please Jillian, I don't need magic to get into a girls bedroom." Jill blushed at the insinuation, "Well," he paused dramatically, "not _that_ kind of magic."

"You came in through the window!" Angeline groused from the other bed, the Dhamphir had a pillow stuffed over her head and her voice was a little muffled.

Jill looked at Adrian curiously who shrugged, "Only after Nurse Ratchet refused to let me passed the door."

Jill giggled, some of her tiredness receding, she pulled her pillow into her lap and gestured for a bagel, which Adrian handed to her. "So what's happening tonight?" she asked, taking a bite.

Adrian beamed, "We're going clubbing my dear, I want to show you guys the delights of LA, we live a few miles out from one of the hottest cities in the world and have yet to explore it." He_ tisked_ exaggeratedly.

Jill gave him a sceptical look, "Good luck getting that one past Sydney and Eddie." Although, the idea did sound appealing and Jill was all for a little holiday mischief.

Adrian nodded, finishing off his breakfast, in one too large bite. "Which is why I'm here so early grasshopper, it's going to take us the rest of the day to convince either one, or both of them and even then I'm sure Sage will find some way to be a stick in the mud."

Jill gave him a disapproving look, "Don't be mean Adrian." She chided.

"I wasn't." he said honestly, "and I'm sure Sydney would pride herself on her lack of fun-ability, it's like an Alchemist gold star or something."

At that moment Angeline managed to free herself from the thrall of trying to get back to sleep, and sat up in her bed, the Dhamphirs hair was a mess but she still seemed threatening, even in sleep clothes, she pointed a finger at Adrian's Starbucks bag acquiescingly. "There better be one of those in there for me."

Adrian beamed at her, holding out the bag before looking sly, "Well of course my dear, as long as you promise to help."

A bargain was struck.

* * *

><p>When Sydney had been pulled from class the last day of term, she received several envious looks. The day had as of yet been unproductive, the holidays drawing focus from long division or history and the others wished they could get an early mark as well.<p>

Trey, "Oohed," at her jokingly as she walked past him to where the headmaster was standing. She didn't even bother glaring at him in response as she slipped from the classroom.

A tall man was standing already in the hall; he had dark hair which was beginning to show the signs of age, dark grey eyes and most importantly, a golden lily tattoo.

"Mr Meyers is from the college, they're considering you for a scholarship." The headmaster said gleefully, it was a pretty good cover story and Sydney tried to match his enthusiasm. "I'll leave you two alone."

He was going to be so disappointed. The second he was gone from sight, Sydney turned to her colleague and extended her hand. "Sydney Sage." He nodded, eyes passing over the small, mostly healed cut on her forehead, he seemed to be studying her.

"Let's walk."

Horace Meyers seemed to be far more comfortable in the sun then the temperature should allow, especially in long sleeves and high collars although it was nice to find someone her shared her passion for snappy dressing. "You wanted to know about the Moroi from LA?" he asked.

"In particular any that didn't specialise, I realise it's a long time ago and a lot to remember—"

"I know the one you mean." Sydney blinked, that was entirely too easy. "His name was Dallas Badica."

"Of the Badica family?"

"Yes, he had a sister Chloe—" he cut off so quickly she would have thought it was compulsion, especially by the way his eyes went wide. For a moment there was a far away look in his eyes.

Then, just like that he was back to normal. "He never specialised, but had low level control over all four of the elements."

Still frowning at his odd behaviour, Sydney nodded slowly, that followed with what she knew, both Vasilisa and Adrian had mediocre control in all the elements. "How do you remember him so well? Did you know him?"

"No." that sounded like a lie.

"Okay," Sydney said slowly, "do you remember anything he had to do with Strigoi?" at the last word, Horace tensed up so much that had he been piano wire he would have snapped.

Sydney could see the cords in his neck tightening, she'd seen plenty of Alchemist's wigg out at the mention of their undead enemies, even had a few personal hang-ups herself but this was a little extreme.

"No." Horace finally answered.

Seeing he still seemed uncomfortable she moved onto slightly easier questions which eventually left her with little more then she had before, asides from the name. They had gotten half way across the campus by that time and stopped under a shaded fig tree for a break.

Sydney watched her fellow Alchemist closely, in search of answers to the many questions he had drummed up, chief of which was, "Why did you have to come all this way?"

He looked at her, and his hair looked darker in the shade. He seemed to be sizing her up. "You know how it is." He said finally, "you go where they tell you to go."

She crossed her arms, "That's my point, they don't do anything without a reason, taking you from your post all the way out here just for a little chat seems extreme." And it was but with his odd behaviour Sydney was starting to suspect that this had more to do with him being in trouble then her. Maybe it was some kind of punishment.

In any case, he seemed uncomfortable with this line of questioning and kept fiddling with his collar.

Before she had the chance to grill him further a voice from across the quad yelled out, "Hey Sydney!" the younger Alchemist looked up to spy Jill bounding towards her, face alight with happiness. Eddie and Angeline trailed, as always, not far behind her. More surprisingly, so did Adrian.

As the young Moroi reached them Sydney felt Horace take two quick steps back, so his back was to the fig tree. Jill spared him a smile which he did not return.

"Who's your friend?" Jill asked.

Friend was a stretch but she didn't dislike Horace like she had Keith so she let it slide, "Jill this is Horace, Horace this is Jillian Dragomir." Her voice all business. The princess winced at the use of her full name but still managed to say.

"Nice to meet you."

Horace didn't reply with words but instead a stiff nod, as Eddie and the others caught up, his demeanour soured further. Sydney could definitely see why he had been shipped to Nebraska if this was the way he got around the 'good' vampires.

"Oh look, another Alchemist," Angeline said, her derision for their kind dripping from every word. "How fun."

"This one's not as cute, though." Adrian chimed in, his expression no different to when he always joked although Sydney recognised the words were meant for her.

To distract she quickly redid introductions, Horace however, seemed to be getting more stressed as the conversation went on.

"Aren't you uncomfortable in that get up?" Adrian wondered, looking sceptically at Horace's suit.

Ready to defend her fellow human, Sydney stepped in, "Says the man wearing silk."

He looked affronted, "At least I took off my tie Sage."

"I should get going," that was Horace who seemed to have finally regained the ability to speak, he looked at Sydney and for a second she thought she saw a warning flash in his eyes. Was he concerned for her? Why? But then it was gone and he was shaking her hand stiffly. "We'll talk later Miss Sage." Would they? That was news to her.

The other watched him go curiously, "Are all humans that uptight or is it just Alchemists?"

"Shut up Adrian." Her lack of quippy retort seemed to surprise him, he watched her closely for a second, wondering what was on her mind.

As Sydney watched her fellow Alchemist retreat she couldn't help but feel like she was missing something.

Had he been trying to warn her?

* * *

><p>"No."<p>

"Yes."

"I'd rather take out my eyes with a rusty nail."

"That would be unnecessary." She glared at him. "Come on Sage, one dance."

"Not on your life."

It seemed the news Jill had meant to share with her that afternoon was an impromptu LA vacation Adrian had organised, well okay, more like he had came up with it on the spot when he'd been bored and sober.

Now they stood in the centre of one of LA's hottest night clubs, music pounding in their ears, light flashing overhead. Jill and Eddie were dancing somewhere in the crowd, the latter not willingly to let his princess out of sight in such a location. Angeline had at some point found more then one hot guy to slip away with before Sydney and her morals could stop her.

The Alchemist now had her arms crossed tightly over her chest, the position twinging the recovering muscles in her back, as Adrian pleaded with her. If he had any brains he would ask someone else, more then a few scantily dressed girls were giving him a second look, but no, he seemed to have decided to annoy her instead.

Despite the fact that she probably would have rather liked to dance with him, it wasn't really an option, she couldn't dance and refused point blank to try.

"You're no fun Sage." He whined. She wasn't sure how many drinks the Moroi had consumed, but was sure it was more then enough, at the moment he was standing uncomfortably close to her and her heart rate was beginning to pick up.

She turned her lust into sarcasm, "How is this news to you?" her outfit was getting more then a few looks from the other patrons, she'd refused to borrow one of Jill's flashy dresses for the occasion and wore her usual button down blouse but had finally relented to wearing a pair of jeans and simple black heels that she wore most of the time anyway.

Adrian sulked into the chair next to her at the bar; he of course was dressed perfectly for the occasion, and ordered another drink, this time a Bloody Mary. Sydney made a face at the name and he laughed.

"Hey hotness, you wanna dance?" it took Sydney several moments to realize that the voice was directed at her and only Adrian's unimpressed face convinced her, she spun around to face its owner and promptly balked at the muscly guy that now stood in front of her.

She struggled for a second. "No…thankyou."

Adrian snorted into his drink and she shot him a glare, frankly this was all his fault, if he hadn't convinced the others that holidays needed celebration and that oh yes of course he could compel the bouncers into believing they were all twenty one (much to Sydney's protest) none of this would be happening.

"Why not?" the unnamed guy asked, with a frown on his face, his too gelled hair reminded her of Keith and she almost gagged.

"Because I don't know how," she answered honestly, leaving out the part where she wouldn't go near a guy like him with a ten foot pole. Believe it or not she wasn't new to this experience, hanging out in Russian nightclubs had led to more then a few encounters with humans and even once a Dhamphir who had wanted to 'try' the American girl.

"That's not a very good answer."

Adrian stood up and for a moment Sydney thought she was going to have to break up a fight before he caught her hand and pulled her against him suddenly. "And because she's already dancing with me Paco." And before she could stop him, Adrian had tugged her into the crowd of dancers and they'd left her ill-fated pick-up artist behind.

Once finally they had found a small space to call their own, Adrian stopped but didn't release his hold on her, the proximity of the other dancers meant she was standing entirely in his personal space. "I could have handled that."

He grinned down at her, and his eyes looked especially green under the strobe light, "I know Sage but I like being gallant, don't spoil it for me."

"Yeah but—"

"You let that Ian guy do it but I can't." he commented.

Sydney paused confused. "Ian, what do you mean?"

He laughed at her lightly, "I was there remember, when Stan was interrogating you that Alchemist bloke looked like he wanted to put you over his shoulder and take you back to his cave."

She slapped him on the shoulder, grateful that on the darkened dance floor he couldn't see her blush. Rose had once said the same thing, albeit more tactfully. Ian was an Alchemist, superior to her own age and rank, and actually might be useful contact for her to figure out the Horace mystery, she promised to call him later.

"I'll let you be gallant if you drop this conversation." She offered making him laugh, as the song from the speakers changed.

"Done." He grinned, pulling her closer to him as another couple, who looked completely drunk, squeezed passed.

"I hate dancing," she admitted. In a voice only his Moroi hearing could pick up.

He smirked at her, "Well, I thought you'd prefer to dance with me then that beefcake back there."

That was certainly the case but she wasn't going to admit that, the last thing Adrian Ivashkov needed was an ego stroke. "I don't even know why either one of you would want to dance with me." She muttered honestly.

Adrian seemed to contemplate her for a second before the tiniest smile lit his lips, "Abe was right," he began, making Sydney pause, "you women really have no idea the power you wield."

Then he spun her and she happily avoided answering that statement and explaining why her stomach had jumped at the look in his eye when he spoke.

Part of her loved being barely millimetres from him, their bodies touching but the rest of her mind still screamed _vampire_. Here under the lights wearing a silk shirt and with ultra-mussed hair she couldn't think of anyone more unthreatening the Adrian Ivashkov.

He was staring at her again. And she felt her smile fade as she got caught up in him again, it wasn't fair and it's wasn't right; she was the one who had put the kibosh on their budding romance? Friendship? Whatever the hell had been happening between them. It wasn't fair to him or to her heart to keep feeling this way.

He leaned even closer to her, his breath brushing the golden lily on her cheek, "I don't mind." Had he read her thoughts?

"Just one dance Sage, it won't mean anything." That was of course a lie, but he was willing to suffer the pain later for the pleasure now and she didn't seem to be able to move away from him.

She swallowed the lump in her throat and against her better judgement nodded, letting him hold her tighter as he taught her to dance.

* * *

><p>"Where are Sydney and Adrian?" Jill called over the music to Eddie, this pounding human sound had done a number on her sensitive hearing and she and Eddie had retreated back to the bar for a slight reprieve, the Moroi girl had expected to find their friends here, but who were no where in sight.<p>

He shrugged, clearing a space at the bar for her and ordering two waters, "Don't know, Sydney's sensibilities probably got offended and she's back in the car, Adrian's probably…well actually I don't want know what Adrian's doing or whom he's doing it with."

Jill laughed, but a third voice interrupted their conversation, "Probably each other." Angeline snorted as she slid over to them; the Dhamphir girl had no problem showing a little skin and was already being mentally devoured by several of the men nearby.

Jill looked shocked while Eddie snorted with derision, "Maybe where you come from Angie"—she glared at him, hating the nickname he had given her—"but in civilised society, humans and Moroi don't get together, especially not Alchemist humans."

Angeline's dark look turned pitiful as if he was a small child. "Don't be so naive, just because they don't do it public where you little pure darlings could be offended doesn't means it doesn't happen." She crossed her arms, "Paulette could tell you some stories I bet," she smirked, "there are more then a few vampires out there who get their rocks off by screwing and feeding at the same time. How do you think our kind was created cousin?" she asked Eddie darkly, mimicking the Moroi use of the word cousin.

"And," Eddie asked, without missing a beat. "What about Alchemists. Have you ever heard of them getting down and dirty with vampires?"

Angeline snorted, as a human guy nearby eyed her up, "No, but then they'd have to relax for two second to get their play. Never gonna happen."

"My point," Eddie turned to Jill, "is that I'm sure Sydney and Adrian are around here somewhere, you don't feel anything concerning through the bond do you?"

Jill seemed to just then recall this gift of hers and Angeline rolled her eyes before turning to order a drink as Jill took a breath and tried to calm herself.

She felt…happiness, no, it was more then that, completeness, she couldn't really describe it but where ever Adrian was he was more then okay, she quickly retreated from his head and smiled reassuringly at Eddie, "He's fine thanks." He smiled in return, "But what about Sydney?"

"Don't worry," Angeline answered, "if someone came across her in a dark alley she could always just bore them to death."

Eddie laughed and Jill momentarily forgot about her worries, Adrian's feelings of contentment slipping into hers.

* * *

><p>"I swear to God if you get sick in my car, I'll will you throw out, I don't care what speed we're going." Sydney had never been so appalled and her fear for Latte was paramount. Adrian sat slumped in her passenger's seat, his eyes heavy and his breath rancid.<p>

"We're not far," Jill tried to say encouragingly, she was looking a little green around the gills herself, despite not drinking a drop of alcohol. "He should make it."

"Yeah, back to the school," Sydney said glancing in her review mirror so she could see the two Dhamphirs and the Moroi princess, "but how the hell am I supposed to get him into his apartment?"

Angeline shrugged, turning to look out the window at the traffic, "Don't ask me, I suggest chucking him, much easier."

Jill glared at her, while Adrian started playing with the radio; Sydney quickly slapped his hand away. "Don't even think about it vampire boy." He pouted.

Although he had meant his previous promise to quit drinking, it had seemed insignificant once Sydney had stepped away from him that night and he was reminded again, that she wasn't his and never could be. A few shots of tequila had done enough to numb the ache in his chest.

When they finally made it back to Amberwood campus and the others piled out it was left to Sydney to deal with Adrian, although the school was technically on holidays and many of the students had returned home for the holidays the teachers were being even more vigilant and Sydney doubted wether she could really sneak the drunk Moroi past her dorm warden but once he started dry heaving in the bushes her mind was made up.

There was no way she was subjecting her poor car to that any longer, so with frustrated patience, she grabbed him under the arms and hauled him to her dorm, where they were indeed stopped by the matron, Mrs Weathers.

She took one look at Adrian and tapped the big yellow sign taped to her desk. 'No male students are permitted past this line. Trespassers will be shot.'

Sydney grimaced. She shrugged Adrian across to her other side so she could give her left shoulder a break, her aching back reminding her, that indeed Sonya hadn't healed all her wounds from the previous week. "He's my brother," she explained, "he was supposed to go back to his place tonight, but well…if I let him go now who knows where he'll turn up."

"Another brother?" Mrs Weathers asked, fortunately she didn't seem to remember Adrian from his last late night escapade to her room. Only Jill's, this morning. "You lot breed like rabbits."

Sydney frowned but as usual didn't disagree, "Yes ma'am," she was struggling with his weight now and finally decided just to drop him where she stood, Adrian promptly rested his head against Mrs Weathers desk and started sleeping.

Fortunately this seemed to sway her decision, she frowned but finally nodded at Sydney, "Fine, but I want him gone by the morning and any mess he makes you'll be cleaning up." Sydney winced but nodded.

"Yes ma'am."

Getting Adrian into her room hadn't been too difficult but once she had deposited him on the ground at the foot of her bed she was more then ready for bed and was just getting under the covers when Adrian spoke.

"Sage, you're not really leaving me down here are you?" he sounded so pitiful she sighed, annoyed and crawled her way to the foot of her bed so she could peer down at him,

"You seemed perfectly happy five minutes ago."

"That was before I woke up."

"Obviously."

Adrian rubbed his shoulders in exaggeration, "Its cold down here."

She rolled her eyes and threw him a pillow, "I thought alcohol was supposed to keep you warm? And by the way, if Jill has a hangover tomorrow I'm going to kick you." She warned.

Adrian tucked the pillow under his head, "Anything else you can do?" he asked despairingly.

"Would you like a mint?"

"You'll do." He answered.

Sydney's body tensed, damn him, could he make this any more difficult? She knew that this was her fault, she shouldn't have danced with him tonight, never have let him hold her so close or touch her in the way he had.

"Adrian," she started.

"I told you to stop saying my name like that."

She huffed. "Go to sleep Adrian."

He didn't reply but she could tell he was annoyed with her, well too bad, she thought as she slipped back under the covers.

It would take her hours to get to sleep and not because there was a vampire at the foot of her bed but because his name was Adrian Ivashkov and he was no longer an irrelevant party boy.

* * *

><p>A knock came at the door before the first light of sun had even appeared; the sky was still a purplish colour outside her window. She suspected that the intruder was Mrs Weathers come to get rid of their interloper but instead found Horace on the other side of her door.<p>

Unfortunately for her, he happened to see Adrian tangled up on her floor and his eyes went wide, before she could react he had grabbed her by the arms and swung her into the hall, for a few moments she thought he was angry until she got a good look at his face and instead saw fear.

He was afraid of a drunk, hung-over Adrian?

Horace pushed her away from the door, pressing her body against the wall, shielding her with his, he looked at her frantically, "What is it?" he asked, "What has he done to you?"

Sydney stuttered, she needed her coffee so early in the morning to be able to think, "What? Nothing, he hasn't done anything." She knew she would be in trouble, perhaps even slandered a vamp lover again if he reported this to their bosses but he looked frantic and afraid not judgemental. He looked into her eyes and she was rather uncomfortable at how close he was standing and how tightly he was holding her arms.

"He didn't compel you? You're sure? Try to think, it's what they do you know, they trick your mind, put their own words in and make you think it's your voice speaking."

Sydney stared, his little tangent reminded her of the times Adrian would go on one of his spirit induced rants, and Horace was looking at her so intently it took her a moment to realize what was right in front of her face.

His neck, now exposed where his collar had slipped, was covered with scars. Vampire bites.

She should have recognised it before, the odd moments of blankness, the serious fear of Strigoi, her fathers' involvement and the fact that he was here, when it was so inconvenient for him not to be.

Horace Meyers had been re-educated and he was a warning to her.

She'd be next.

She'd only known a few and heard stories of others who had returned from those centres, they all had these odd moments, sometimes in the middle of conversations, where they seemed to fade away, there was perpetual fear in their eyes and she had heard, bites all over their bodies, not just their necks, but their wrists, their chests, wherever blood flowed.

There were rumours that the Alchemists used vampires in their re-education centres. A necessary evil, just like their tattoos.

And it looked like they were true.

"Sage?"

Damn it all to hell. Adrian stepped into the hallway, his hair mussed, eyes blood shot, his clothes wrinkled from the night he had spent on her floor, but he took one look at her current situation and sobered up.

He punched the other Alchemist in the face before she could stop him and although he wasn't guardian level good, he was still a vampire, his strength compared to humans was enough to knock Horace to the ground.

"Adrian, no!" Sydney cried, her mind was still spinning, she tried to reach for him, to stop him, how could she explain? But Adrian continued forward stepping towards the prone Alchemist who was looking at him with such a terrible fear.

Then he bore his fangs.

"Adrian!" she grabbed him by the back of the collar making him yelp and swung him out of the way, pushing him down the hall, "Get away!" he stared at her in shock, not understanding in the least, she would worry about his feelings later but right now Horace's need was more urgent.

The second he had seen the fangs, it was like a light switch had been flicked, a sob passed his lips and his eyes became unfocused, his knees were wrapped to his chest his limbs shaking and Sydney had to watch helplessly as a grown man cried.

"What…" Adrian breathed.

She couldn't believe he was still here, couldn't he see that he was the nightmare here? She turned on him.

"Get out!" she didn't care if anyone heard her raised voice, "Get out now Adrian!"

He looked at her once more.

"Go!"

And he was gone.

Sydney forgot him and instead turned to the crying man on the ground, it was…a panic attack? She guessed, the other re-educated Alchemists she had known had had similar incidents, she remembered a Minsk nightclub in Belarus, it had just been some Goth teenager with plastic fangs but it had been enough.

She hadn't been any help then, she wasn't now.

She touched his arm and Horace whimpered such a pathetic sound. She breathed his name and he was finally able to look at her, perhaps her brown eyes and flat teeth calmed him but again he started shaking, this time she awkwardly wrapped her arms around him. He was too large for them to fit all the way.

She held him all the time knowing that this had been their intention all along, her father's maybe or maybe not, for her to see.

What the Alchemists did to people who got mixed up with vampires.

* * *

><p>It wasn't till later that night that she returned to her dorm, she'd be gone the whole day and had no way of knowing what had become of Adrian, she only hoped he could understand when she apologised later.<p>

"_I knew when they sent me…you seemed like a nice girl."_

It was then to her surprise that she found him sitting on her bed, reading one of her books, seemingly not noticing her presence.

"_There's still hope for you…don't fall for their tricks, get them outta your head, you think they're your friends, they're not."_

"Adrian?"

"_Chloe…I thought."_ _She knew what he had thought; she wasn't to that place with Adrian yet._

"Sydney." Not Sage.

_Love._

"Is he?"

"In Nebraska, the Alchemists won't be hearing about this." She sighed.

Silence descended and Sydney suddenly felt weary to her bones, she wanted nothing but to collapse into her bed and cry.

"_You're next."_

The words had consumed her all day as she made arrangements for Horace to get out of town, as she had driven Latte back to the school and as she ignored the ring of her cell phone displaying her fathers ID.

Had this been his idea?

Was this a warning? A straighten up and fly right and maybe you'll get to keep your self, or a threat? Was her case already closed?

She was so caught up it took her a moment to notice Adrian was off the bed and standing in front of her now, the book he had been reading left open, _Dracula_ by Bram Stroker, she tried to laugh but it came out as a sob and in the next second she was in his arms, crying into his shirt.

His hold was surprisingly strong, his heartbeat surprisingly loud, she clung to him, loosing track of time when finally he whispered in her ear. "It was meant for you, wasn't it?" his voice cracked.

He didn't need to see her face to know the answer, so when he pulled back and he looked at her, she had never seen him so serious. He pressed his forehead to hers. "That is not going to happen." When he said it like that she almost believed it. "Whatever it takes."

Then he kissed her on the forehead and pulled away from her, she could tell it took all his will to do, as he walked to her door and out. It took every ounce of strength he had not to run back to her.

But he had meant it.

Too keep her safe, he would do anything, even stay away from her.

So that's what he did.

He was selfish like that.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

* * *

><p>It had been almost a month and news from the court told them that their mission was almost over, not long now and Jill would be free, no longer the only thing keeping her sister on the throne.<p>

Sydney was cordial.

Adrian was polite.

Jill hated it, she didn't know what was going on and both of them refused to explain it and when he had asked her not to use the bond she hadn't been able to bring herself to deceive him, all she knew was that her friends had been happy if confusing and temperamental and now they were nothing, they just were.

Polite and sad.

She wasn't the only one to notice, Sonya had and Dimitri too. But it was still with surprise she found herself talking alone to the legendary Guardian Belikov one afternoon, he had come to the school when she had the period off and asked politely for a word.

"What's wrong with him?"

"Who?"

"Adrian."

Jill sighed, "I don't know."

Dimitri looked doubtful.

"I really don't!" Jill exclaimed. "He won't talk to me about it, I know it's got something to do with Sydney but she won't tell me either."

Dimitri nodded thoughtfully, even in the full sun of campus on a searing hot day he wore his trademark duster over dark clothes.

"He hasn't been drinking." The Guardian observed.

Jill paused, "Really?" thinking back to it, she hadn't had a hangover in ages, her nights were relatively peaceful, excluding nightmares about knife wielding Moroi and Adrian himself had seemed far less intoxicated than usual. The Moroi shrugged, "Huh. So he has."

"Well not as much." Dimitri admitted.

"Is that because of your Mod Squad?" she asked with out thinking.

Dimitri almost smiled, his lip twitched into a smirk, "Our what?"

Jill blushed, quickly avoiding his brown eyes, she didn't fully understand the term but Adrian had called them that once in reference to his, Sydney's, Sonya's and Dimitri's investigation team. "I meant," She mumbled, "I thought he had stopped drinking so as to help out you guys in your spirit search."

Dimitri still seemed to find this amusing but shook his head in response, "No, the Alchemists didn't have the foresight to make sobriety a condition in their apartment deal and it's only recently he's been cutting back, I originally thought it was because of your bond but Sydney told me about your LA getaway." His tone may have suggested disapproval but Jill didn't comment on it.

"He has been trying for me…but, I don't know, why do you care anyway?" curiosity had always been her trademark and through the bond she had felt Adrian's scorn for the elder man.

Immediately the Guardians already stoic face shut down, his answer was clipped, "All Moroi are my concern princess, even him." His hands slipped into his coat pockets and for a moment he looked to the ground, what sounded from his mouth next rang true. "And she would be devastated if anything happened to him."

_She._

Rose.

* * *

><p>Sydney Sage was going on a date.<p>

Against her will she might add. Trey had come right out an asked her after chemistry class that day and with Julia and Kristen as witnesses she couldn't pretend she didn't understand his intentions, so she'd agreed with a tight smile. How could she possibly explain about Adrian? Who most thought was her brother, she couldn't and therefore had no real excuse. Her and Adrian had gone their separate ways, it was best to move on.

Not that she felt any less guilty.

Also against her will, her other group of friends had found out as well. Jill had hesitated for a second before squealing and giving her a hug, Eddie had laughed at her and only Angeline seemed uninterested in the Alchemist's love life

And Adrian?

He'd met her eye and smiled softly at her, "I hope you don't intend to go dressed like that Sage."

They hadn't spoken since.

Sydney hoped the Alchemists were happy; she'd made the safe choice, the human football star rather than the vampire party boy.

She hoped it was enough to save her.

It sure cost her enough.

* * *

><p>Adrian wanted to scream, he sat at the small dining room in Sonya's apartment, curtesy of the Alchemists, those ever loving bastards, and the elder woman was detailing her newest theory on their most prominent threat. Vampire Hunters. Did they exist? The Guardians back at court seemed not to think so and the Alchemists had given some vague answers in their usual way.<p>

Adrian didn't really care one way or the other. All he could think of was a girl and how she was going on a date with a perfectly nice guy he had no reason to hate.

Not that that stopped him.

"Adrian, are you listening to me?"

He didn't regret his decision. Much. But if the choices were being with Sydney Sage and keeping her safe he would choose the latter every time. He only vaguely understood the threats of the Alchemists, didn't really comprehend the danger she was facing.

But he knew it scared her and that was enough.

"Adrian!"

"What!" he snapped out of his thoughts, knocking over his cup of stone cold tea, which dribbled off the table and onto his expensive slacks.

Sonya looked at him mournfully as she moved to the kitchen to retrieve paper towels, "I was explaining the origins behind the device that stopped Dimitri the other night." She repeated as she returned and started mopping up the mess of spilled tea, "Dhamphirs hearing is to a level different of humans, a device set to a certain frequency could be ramped up so high as to incapacitate. Very advanced technology based on a simple idea." She bundled the paper towel into a ball and chucked it in the garbage before handing Adrian some more to wipe his pants.

"Moroi too." He mused.

Sonya nodded, "Yes, Moroi too."

"But still leave humans untouched."

"Exactly."

_Vampire Hunters_.

"Why did they hurt Sydney then?" he asked quietly. At the mention of her name his mind zoomed back to images of his Alchemist on a date with a hunky football player. His mood soured even further.

Sonya sighed, sitting down again at the table and folding her hands together, she watched him closely and Adrian suspected she was watching his aura. "What happened between you two?" she asked.

Adrian grimaced, "That's not an answer," he diverted.

Sonya looked like she wanted to roll her eyes for a minute before she spoke, "Because she got in their way, how Sydney tells it, they could have killed her but didn't, it was only when she tried to stop them getting to Dimitri that she was harmed."

Adrian was ready to let it drop at that but the elder spirit user continued, "Now, will you tell me what happened between the two of you?"

For a second he met her eye and he almost spilled everything, all his fresh heartache about how everything had got screwed up. How the girl he liked could have maybe loved was now going on a date with another guy because she was an Alchemist and he wasn't her kind.

He almost did but couldn't and in the end he sighed and shook his head. "Your aura is dark Adrian," Sonya observed sadly, "not spirit darkness, just darkness, sadness." She looked at him beseechingly.

It was all he could do to thank her for the tea; he was halfway out the door when she spoke. "I've had my fair share of experience with forbidden relationships." He looked back at her, shocked but she only smiled knowingly at him, "if you ever need to talk."

She wasn't threatening to expose them, only to offer a helping hand if they should need it, but Adrian knew that his relationship with Sydney Sage was beyond even her help.

"Thanks."

And he closed the door.

* * *

><p>Sydney loved cars.<p>

The fact that she now stood in front of several hundred of them practically put her smack in the middle of heaven.

"What do you think?" Trey asked with a grin, "I've noticed the way you coddle that box on wheels you call a car."

"Be still my heart." She joked, so happy, that she was willing to overlook the dig at Latte.

She hadn't known where they were going for their date so Kristen and Julia had insisted on being prepared.

Apparently their definitions of the word differed to hers.

She had been forcefully and only with some cavalry help from Jill been coerced into a dress, it wasn't flashy and praise the Lord it didn't have sequins but it was a nice blue and a little too low cut for her tastes.

Trey laughed, he gave her a relieved smile as they joined the que forming to enter into the Palm Springs 51st Annual Car Show, "I kinda hoped it would cheer you up."

Sydney frowned at him, "Cheer me up?" she wasn't aware she had let her feelings show particularly to anyone.

He gave her a knowing look, "I may not know all the elements of the periodic table off by heart like some people," he gave her a despairing look, she rolled her eyes, "but even I can tell when a girl is unhappy."

Was it that noticeable? Sydney frowned again; Alchemists prided themselves on their famous pokerfaces but if her current mess of a relationship with Adrian Ivashkov had got her so down that even civilians were picking up on it she clearly needed to work on her game.

Trey touched her cheek and she jumped a little at the unexpected contact, "Come on," he grinned, "the point was to make you smile more, not the opposite."

She held back a sigh, pushing all those thoughts from her brain and giving him a genuine grin, he deserved that, he was human, funny and kind and within the rules and that made him perfect.

She took his hand as he offered it and allowed herself to get swept up in the familiar world of engines and tires.

* * *

><p>"What are you doing here Belikov?" Adrian opened his apartment door to greet the Dhamphir none to kindly.<p>

"Can we talk?"

"I was just on my way out," the fact that he held keys in his hand and was dressed more then casually proved this was the truth. Dimitri nodded.

"I'll walk with you."

Adrian didn't seem happy with this development but declined to comment as he locked up his apartment and the two men found their way to the stairs. Damn his lack of elevator, although that probably would have been twice as awkward, next time, he was getting the Alchemists to spring for a better apartment.

"Is this about the case? Did you find out anything more about this spirit user we're tracking?"

Dimitri shook his head as they reached the parking garage, which Adrian would of course by pass, scratch that, he was getting the Alchemists to find him some wheels next. "No, although Sydney's financial records on Lee have given us a few more leads. Dallas Badica operated out of several casino's in LA, we've been asking but so far no one has mentioned anything like spirit."

"It could be useful in casinos though," Adrian mused, talking shop with Dimitri he could handle, "Super compulsion." He had first hand experience.

Dimitri nodded, they were almost to the street, a small exit ahead would take them out into the alley around the back of Adrian's building. "It could." He admitted, his posture was tense as always but Adrian suspected it was more to do with the real reason the Guardian was here.

Finally the Moroi stopped and spoke, bowing to the unavoidable, "Fine, just spit it out will you."

Dimitri hesitated as they begun to walk again but finally nodded resolutely, "I came to check on you, you've been odd these last few weeks and I—"

"Thought it was because of Rose." Adrian finished.

"No." Dimitri shook his head, "I thought it was because of me."

Adrian wouldn't deny it, Belikov wasn't his favourite person and neither was Rose Hathaway anymore but how else could he explain that the reason he'd been moping these last few weeks was nothing to do with them and everything to do with a blonde haired, brown eyed Alchemist who made him even crazier then he was before.

They entered the alley and before Adrian could dodge the question Dimitri froze.

He caught Adrian on the shoulder and his eyes narrowed, the light overhead which usually illuminated the path to the street was broken.

It was dark and only because of their vampire senses could they still see. Belikov had stepped protectively in front of Adrian, his whole body curled to defence, if Adrian hadn't know he was on his side even he would have been afraid.

There was silence and the far off sounds of the city before.

_Crack!_

The sound of something metal bobbing on the ground and then there was nothing but pain.

Adrian cried out, heard Dimitri do the same as their eyes burned, it was like no light he had ever seen, white hot and searing, it disappeared after a few seconds but all Adrian could see, was blinking brightly coloured dots, his vision swam.

Aside from his eyesight he was uninjured and he could still feel Belikovs' presence next to him, there was the sound of running feet and Adrian felt someone push him in the side.

"Run."

He couldn't see, how could he run? But he did none the less.

"Close your eyes." That was Belikov and there were the sounds of a fight. Adrian obeyed without thinking and quickly his disorientation faded a little, now relying on sound instead of sight he turned towards what he thought was the mouth of the alley.

A fist caught him in the gut. He went down, the air knocked from his lungs. Something metal was clapped around his throat and wrists and he was forced to the ground, his eyes snapped open again and he could see blurry pale faces, he struggled and could hear the sounds of Belikov doing the same, he looked around for the Guardian but couldn't locate him.

He kicked out his foot and was satisfied as he felt the crunch of what he suspected was someone's nose. "Dammit! I said hold him!"

Panic settled in his veins and without thinking he struggled for his magic, he passed them all, fire, earth, water, wind and finally settled on spirit for the first time in a long time, without alcohol clogging his veins in filled him entirely and without knowing what he was doing, he unleased it.

_He was standing in a river._

_Surrounded by people, alive and dead and he saw Dimitri, looking different to the others, sheathed in white light._

_A storm raged over head with red bubbling clouds and peace beneath his feet. Adrian didn't know how he knew but he did._

_He was dead._

* * *

><p>Sydney didn't know why but suddenly in the last few months she had kissed more men then she had ever before. She blamed it of the Californian air.<p>

But kissing Trey was different to kissing Adrian.

Kissing Adrian had taken all of her, for just a few moments and then minutes she forgot everything, her entire space had been him, her problems insignificant compared to the need to keep his lips on hers.

Now kissing a quarterback on the steps on Amberwood School, her problems seemed to weigh on her, she could feel the Alchemists closing in on her, could feel Adrian's heartbreak plaguing her, could see her sister's flawless cheeks swathed in a golden lily, hear her father's voice in her head.

She was suffocating and she hated it.

She pulled away from him, breaking the kiss more peacefully then the one with Adrian, he smiled at her and she could see it was more then genuine and she had to blame the weather, why else would all these boys be suddenly falling head over heels for her?

"Catch you later Melbourne."

Sydney dreaded being forced to recount this moment to Jill, she was even considering lying when her cell phone rang, the caller ID said Sonya.

"What's happening?"

"Sydney you need to get over here now."

Her blood turned to ice.

* * *

><p><em>He was having a nightmare.<em>

_First Rose was walking out the door and into Belikov's arms, his Mother was being hauled away by Guardians, his father was ruining his life._

_Then Jill was dead, lifeless and dead and Lee had a knife at Sydney's throat, blood already covering the blade. "He'll do it anyway—ahh!" her cry echoed in his head._

_She was bleeding on his couch and he'd never been so scared, he wondered if he was going crazy again, then she wasn't with him and his world fell to pieces, literal pieces._

_Her eyes weren't brown anymore, or gold or anything really, she was alive and well but she was afraid and different and he knew the Alchemists had done their worst. Because of him._

_And she was kissing another guy, the one from the coffee shop who liked to sneak into her room at all hours of the night, Adrian's already broken heart crumpled into dust. _

"Adrian?" _she didn't want him anymore, he wasn't worth her._

"Adrian?" _Spirit took the shards of him and made a new man, one out of place and jumbled together._

"Adrian!"

He almost cracked his scull on hers as he woke in a fit, thrashing, she caught his arms and held him close and all he could think of was her. Ruined by the Alchemist's and in love with somebody else. Then she spoke.

"Hey, its okay, stop." She'd never been very good at comforting people but it worked anyway and he stilled at her voice.

"Sydney?"

She smiled at him, so relieved, "It's me, you scared us." He searched his surroundings and saw he was back in Sonya's apartment, his hands were no longer bound, his neck was bare and the elder spirit user, Jill and his friends as well as Guardian Belikov were standing just over Sydney's shoulder.

Dimitri looked hurt, but alive and relieved as well. Jill threw her arms around him and started sobbing into his chest. He looked at Sydney. "What happened?"

So they told him.

All the while he tried to shake the memories of that dream from his head while clutching her hand as tight as he could.

He wasn't letting go.


	6. Chapter 6

Thanks for sticking with this story so far guys, comments always welcome

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 5<strong>

* * *

><p>"I'd prefer red," Adrian said, tilting his head in thought. "You know, so it goes faster."<p>

Sydney considered not for the first time, hitting him. "That's hardly scientific." She quipped, although she didn't mind red either, he couldn't afford to be difficult. They stood in the middle of a Palm Springs summer, surrounded by gleaming metal, broken tires and beat up cubes of what used to be cars.

The car lot at the very end of town had been their location for the last few hours, apparently Adrian Ivashkov was even more picky then her when it came to choosing a car.

After several saved pay checks for the golf range the Moroi Lord had scraped enough cash together to be able to get himself some wheels and had, of course, employed Sydney to help him out.

It was a harmless exercise; a trip to the junk lot could hardly be construed as a date by even the most casual observer and with the excuse of following the newly enforced no-going-anywhere-alone rules, Eddie and Dimitri had determind after the last attack, Sydney could spend some time with him, alone, without getting into any more trouble.

Maybe that was the reason Adrian had laboured so long over their slim choices in vehicles, so they could spend more time together but truthfully she thought it had more to do with shallowness, Adrian could barley lower himself to buying used furniture let alone something that he would be seen in out in public.

She sighed, there were clouds over head and the muggy weather was making her a little irate, "Would you just pick one." she huffed, "it's either this one or the Bug, they're the only two in this whole place that'll run."

Adrian gave her a despairing look, "A Bug Sage, really, a Bug?" he shook his head at her ignorance, "exactly how am I supposed to get a girl in the back seat of one of those, there's barley room for one."

Sydney rolled her eyes, not letting on how the thought of him and other girls bothered her so. "Fine then, get the Laser." She gestured to the car they were currently standing in front of, which was missing two front tires and was in desperate need of a new paint job.

"I'm not a pensioner yet Sage, I could at least try not to drive like one."

Sydney almost reached out to strangle him, only the appearance of the dealer stopping her murderous rampage. "You kids made up your minds yet?" he groused as he came over to them. Wearing a grubby shirt and tie that showed sweat marks and having beady eyes didn't endear him to Sydney in the least, the fact that he kept referring to them as "kids" didn't help either.

"No," Adrian shook his head, "Do you have anything in red?" he repeated. Normally Sydney would have attempted to break up the fight that that comment had almost started but something over the dealer's shoulder had caught her eye.

Just coming in the door, on the back of a tow truck, was what would look like to anyone else a hunk of junk, but to her was a slice of heaven. Missing four wheels, its paint faded to a dull pink, seats burnt out and torn, it was almost impossible to recognise the hunk of twisted metal for what it was.

A Ford Mustang Fastback, she'd guess, about 1967.

"Sage? Heelloo? You in there?"

When Adrian received no response he tried less tact, gasping in mock fear, "Strigoi attack!"

That got him a glare, but little else and Sydney ignored him and walked over to the tow truck as it came to a stop in the centre of the car yard. Adrian followed her bemused, he peered up at the car which had received her attention and frowned, "It's pink." He mused.

"We could fix that," Sydney was already mentally calculating how much the parts would cost and how many man hours it would take to get it running again, while the Alchemists wouldn't notice her buying it for herself, she unfortunately had no where to put it, Adrian on the other hand…

"How much?" she asked the dealer, who had sweatily trotted over to them after his last confrontation with Adrian

"That old thing," he shook his head, "it's for the scrap heap, not worth fixing."

Sydney disagreed but best not to let him see that right away, "Can I get a look at the engine?"

Over an hour later and much haggling Adrian Ivashkov was now the proud owner of an expensive paper weight, or so he claimed, returning to his apartment Sydney couldn't help herself and in glee hugged him tightly around the neck.

"I promise you're not going to regret this," Adrian slipped his arms around her waist, unable to resist.

"I already don't." He whispered cheekily against her hair.

* * *

><p>He had once told Rose Hathaway that there was nothing hotter then a girl sweating, but after seeing Sydney Sage smudged with oil and grime, wearing an old pair of track pants and an oversized shirt which she had probably found at a thrift store, sorting through spanners and car parts he was going to have to amend that statement.<p>

Sydney, for her part, thought he was staring at her for completely different reasons, "I know, I know, I'm a mess."

They currently occupied the back storage space of Adrian's building, he had charmed the land lady out of letting him borrow it for free and now his half assembled, still pink, car sat taking up the majority of the space, which was also filled with oily rags and the occasional broken mop handle.

"That's not what I was going to say," Adrian grinned, for a moment he touched his magic and brought fourth her aura, it was a bright periwinkle blue and shinning with excitement.

Eager to be closer to this new version of Sydney, he stepped carefully passed the debris of yet to be fitted car parts and crouched next to her, "Can I help?" he asked.

She gave him a sceptical look, "Do you know anything about cars?" she asked.

"I know they take gas," he admitted.

Sydney rolled her eyes, "I suppose I could teach you some basics," again, another dangerous endeavour, but in the hidden garage, they weren't likely to be witnessed.

She knew that they only had a few more weeks to finish her task, updates from the Alchemists suggested that things at Court were finally moving along, soon Vasilisa would have passed the law restricting her rule and Jill would be free to return home, as would Eddie, Angeline and of course Adrian.

As she taught him about spark plugs and gussets Sydney found herself wondering what he would do when the time came to move on, surely their quest for answers regarding curing Strigoi wouldn't be finished by then but Adrian would no longer need the Alchemists apartment and would therefore be free of their debt.

She couldn't see him settling back into Court, in his fathers' home with his restrained, on house arrest, mother. Of course back in Court everything would be provided for him. No more trips to Clarence's for feedings, or having to work a job to pay for food.

She wondered if that life would still appeal to him.

"So this goes in here?" Adrian asked, looking to her for clarification. She reached out and adjusted his wrist a little to the left.

"Almost," she answered pretending not to notice the way Adrian's body tensed at her touch, quickly she retracted her hand. Brushing her hair out of her eyes as a reason for the movement and leaving a smudge of oil across her lily tattoo.

Adrian smirked, he'd never found her _cute_ before.

"How do you know all this stuff?" he asked as she stepped a little away from him, relieving some of the tension, that had built between them in such a small space. "I doubt how-to-build-your-own-engine was a topic at home school."

For a moment a mischievous glint lit her eye before she answered, "It wasn't, but my mother never much cared for rules."

"Sounds like my kind of girl." Adrian quipped, flashing her a grin.

Sydney smiled and not for the first time, wished she could have been more like her mother.

* * *

><p>"Dammit!" blood spurted from Jill Dragomir's nose and she was seriously questioning her decision to get involved in this fight.<p>

Angeline stood just to her left, a wicked grin of her pretty face, she was actually enjoying this. The Dhamphir dodged a right hook from one of the jocks and lashed out with a kick to his kneecap. There was a sickening crunch and the crowd that had formed to watch the confrontation groaned.

Jill cursed; Eddie was going to kill them when he found out. All it had taken was one lude comment from the football player in question, a senior, Slade something and a not so subtle hand on Angeline's backside and her Dhamphir friend had snapped, tackling him in a bone crushing embrace. The fact that the young girl had been so keyed up since the most recent Vampire Hunter encounters had put them all on high alert probably didn't help her temper any, and unfortunately, it had a snow-ball effect.

Somehow, the majority of his team-mates had joined in and Jill had felt compelled to as well, now she was grateful for her self defence lessons as she stared down a blonde haired boy in a varsity jacket who looked a little put out to be brawling with girls.

Then there was a protective arm around her shoulder and she was pushed from the fight, for a moment she suspected Eddie or even Micah before she got a good look at Trey who had blocked his team mate from her, cracking him across the jaw and putting the blonde haired boy down.

Sydney's, kind of boyfriend, flashed her a grin, "You okay there Princess?" Jill bristled and narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously but knowing his penchant for annoying nicknames she didn't think there was anything else behind the words. She nodded.

"Fine."

There was an almighty crash and Angeline had just thrown a guy single handed through one of the hall windows and all hell broke loose.

Yep, they definitely weren't getting out of this one without a lecture.

* * *

><p>Adrian Ivashkov had, using his supposed new found cooking skills, made lemonade and Sydney was cautiously taking a sip. After a few hours of hard work in the garage where Adrian had really been more of a hindrance than a help, due to the fact she was just too damn distracting to him, they had retreated back to his apartment for a break. Sydney glanced at her watch, she'd gotten out early, with a free last period but the day was almost over and she would be expected back at Amberwood soon.<p>

"I got the recipe from Mrs Shark; she makes it for work, tastes great." Adrian admired his own glass.

Sydney took a sip and promptly sprayed lemonade everywhere, when she had finally recovered from her coughing fit and looked at him through watery eyes, she managed to glare, and "I think you got the amounts of lemon and sugar mixed up."

It was a good thing she hadn't gotten changed back into her real clothes yet; Adrian cautiously slid his own glass out of reach and fetched some paper towels, Sydney was just mopping lemonade off her chin when there was a knock at the door.

Adrian spared her an amused glance before moving to the door and looking though the peephole, where his posture immediately soured, keeping his voice low but directing it to her he managed to get out, "Your Alchemist friend is here."

Sydney tensed, another Alchemist could be routine, but knowing her luck she was once again in trouble. She glanced down at her attire and knew she couldn't be seen like this, especially not in the house of a vampire.

She glanced at Adrian, "Stall."

In less then two minutes she had been able to scrub her hands and face into an acceptable state and pull on her usual clothes, consisting of a business like blouse, a linen skirt and black flats.

She returned to the living room trying to control her heart beat as Adrian finally caved to the increasingly annoyed voice of the other Alchemist and let him in.

"Ian?" she was shocked. What was he doing here?

"Shouldn't you be in Seattle with Stanton?" Alchemists sometimes worked in teams, particularly in more vampire populated areas; Ian and Stanton were one such case.

The other Alchemist spared Adrian an annoyed glance but managed a smile for Sydney, "Special occasion, we've got business in LA and I thought I'd track you down." How he'd known she was at Adrian's was a worrying mystery. Ian glanced again at Adrian, "Can we talk?"

Adrian crossed his arms, "This is _my_ apartment." He pointed out.

"Which _we're _paying for." Ian countered.

"Adrian." Sydney's voice was cool, "we don't mean to displace you," she started her posture Alchemist smooth; "we can talk outside."

"No!" Adrian tensed, looking between them, his posture showing he was ready for a fight, mirroring Ian's. Sydney found it exasperating, two men trying to protect her from each other. "I can go into the bedroom." He clearly didn't want to leave her alone, his eyes said as much as he passed her on his way to the door.

"But I'll be right in here." That may have been for Ian's benefit.

Once the Moroi had vacated the room, Ian's posture calmed somewhat but he still seemed tense, he focused his brown eyes on her, keeping his voice low, "You okay Sydney?" he seemed to be watching her face and she was reminded eerily of Horace's piercing observation.

"Fine." She nodded; she understood Adrian's fear but suspected that if the Alchemists were to come for her, they wouldn't have sent Ian but a whole squadron instead. "What's happening in LA?"

The look on his face confirmed what she had expected, a lie, he glanced nervously at the bedroom door before stepping closer to her, his golden lily catching the light, "Nothing we can't handle but Stanton heard that you weren't the only Alchemist in town and thought we could use the back up just in case."

Sydney crossed her arms, watching his face closely; he was asking about Horace no doubt. But were his intentions good or bad? She had no reservations as to where his loyalties lay, with the Alchemists, same as hers, just because she'd become a little to attracted to Adrian Ivashkov and attached to Jill Dragomir didn't mean she had done a complete one eighty on her views. Her friends were exceptions to the vampire rule. "Not any more, I did have a visitor but he left some time ago." She answered carefully.

Ian shifted restlessly; finally he reached out and caught her hand. For a moment she thought it was a romantic gesture until she felt cool glass against her palm, Ian had slipped a small vial into her grasp. "In that case I should get back to Stanton, she might need me." He stepped away from her like nothing had happened. He caught her eye and she saw the concern reflected in his expression. "Take care of yourself Sydney."

She nodded, softening, "You too." Ian was her friend after all.

"If you decide you want to join us," he glance meaningfully at her hand which was now curled around the vial, hiding it from sight, she burned with curiosity. "I'm just a phone call away." His eyes were sad.

Then he was gone. The second the door clicked shut Adrian was out of his room and by her side, his green eyes showed his concern. Sydney's mind reeled, a thousand thoughts and possibilities crossing her mind.

"What happened, Sage? What did he want?" Sydney was still watching the door and when she didn't answer straight away Adrian caught her by the arms and turned her to him, bending down to get a better look at her face, she was brought swiftly out of her thoughts by having him so suddenly close to her.

She slipped the vial into her pocket without showing it to him, a slight of hand, something compelling her to do it. He was still waiting for an answer.

Ian's visit meant one thing for sure; the Alchemists were closer then ever to locking her up and throwing away the key.

* * *

><p>Jill knew something was up the moment Sydney returned to campus and didn't even bother commenting on her black eye, Angeline was still in the Headmasters office getting chewed out but the young Moroi had been let off with only detention for a week. That wasn't even close to what she'd suffer once Eddie was through with her, but the odd lack of reaction by her Alchemist friend peaked her interest.<p>

"Sydney, what's up?" looking up then, she finally noticed the younger girls injuries.

"What happened to you?"

Jill sighed, "It's a long story." She expected Sydney not to be fooled in the least and promptly force her to spill everything but when the blonde hesitated and glanced urgently across the campus grounds, Jill quickly took notice. "Never mind me, what happened to you?"

Sydney sighed, her eyes showed the mental battle she was waging, deciding wether to deal with Jill or the more pressing issue of the Alchemist's. Finally she came to a compromise. "Walk with me."

After returning to her dorm to grab her supplies, the two girls walked across the grounds and slipped, with the help of some quickfire, into the third science block from the end.

"What exactly are we doing?" as Jill turned on the small lamps at the front to give them enough light to work with while not alerting campus security to their presence.

"_I'm_ doing an experiment and _you're_ continuing to explain why the hell Angeline thought it was a good idea to take on the entire football team." Sydney muttered darkly, mentally cursing the other girl; she didn't need anything else to deal with at the moment. Alchemists, Vampire Hunters, Strigoi, Spirit, Jill, and Adrian, always Adrian she wondered how much more she could take.

Jill squirmed, "It wasn't the whole team, Trey was on our side." She said, hoping that would distract Sydney.

No such luck. "Jill," the Alchemist warned shortly.

"Well, okay, it started with a rather vulgar comment which frankly was just uncalled for…"

Half an hour later. Sydney had all the details and a small concoction of bubbling chemicals set over her bunsen burner, Jill leant on the metal lab counter and watched as the Alchemist played mad scientist.

"This is wrong somehow," the young girl commented, earning a raised eyebrow from Sydney, "I feel like we should be cackling," she clarified.

Sydney rolled her eyes before checking her watch and turning down the flame and removing the beaker from the heat. "It won't take much longer, hand me that eye dropper."

Jill complied and Sydney drew some of the mix from the beaker and then placed several drops at equal intervals apart along the space of a sheet of paper, Jill watched curiously as Sydney pulled Ian's vile from her pocket and drew some of that material with another eye dropper and placed drops onto the others.

Nothing happened. "Now, what?" Jill asked.

Sydney sighed, "Patience," _amateur._

After about five minutes or so of Jill fidgeting annoyingly, finally something started to happen and the second last pool of drops started to separate like oil and water.

Sydney let out a breath she hadn't realised she'd been holding while Jill looked at her expectantly, "Well?"

Sydney paused looking up into her bright, earnest eyes, and for a moment she considered, but her tongue stilled, her jaw tightening. Finally she spoke, putting relief into her voice. "Nothing, its inert, no need to worry."

Jill of course had many more questions and Sydney answered each one.

Lying each time.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: The story should start moving along from the next chapter, thanks for getting this far, I appreciate all your comments good and bad.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 7<strong>

* * *

><p>Sydney Sage woke from the dream, her skin on fire, her breath caught in her throat. Bolting upright, she almost fell from the bed. Tangled in her sheets, covered with sweat, a full moon was in her window.<p>

Her heart was pounding and she forced it to calm, the memory of his hands on her body so real it made goosebumps spring to life on her neck.

Christ, she was going to hell.

Having such dreams about Adrian Ivashkov was another step towards damnation. Silently but with still shaking hands she slipped form her bed, fear now replacing lust in her veins, she padded silently over to her desk and opened the top draw, there buried under a well thumbed text book was the small vial of greenish liquid with a yellow sheen.

She reached for it and the cool glass against her fingers made her shiver. Fear gripped her heart and she squeezed the bottle tightly, she knew what it contained now.

An antidote.

Or more accurately, a preventative.

To compulsion.

The Alchemists weren't magic and therefore had based their concoction in science; the liquid in her hand would affect her brain, allowing her to potentially fight a Moroi's form of mind control.

Her dream sprung to mind, the imaginary feel of Adrian's body pressed to hers had felt just like the real thing and a shiver of disgust trickled down her spine mixed with desire.

"_You compelled me!"_ that what she had said, in explanation for their first kiss, even knowing it was a lie…or was it?

Alchemist teaching all echoed in her head at once, of course she had no way of knowing, that was the beauty of it, hadn't Horace said _"Make their voices sound like your own."_

But Adrian wouldn't do that. Part of her felt sure, was angry at herself for even thinking it, but a small part made from residual fear over powered it.

Before she could think anymore she was unstoppering the bottle and tilting it to her lips, it tasted sickly sweet and left a bad tasting thick sheen on her tongue. She coughed a little, but swallowed it anyway.

She was relieved and she hated herself for that.

She wondered if he would hate her too.

* * *

><p>"Can you see it?"<p>

Adrian squinted as if the thing he was looking at was actually tangible. His whole aura was on fire as he conjured the wealth of his magic; Dimitri watched the display from the couch in Sonya's sitting room, the other spirit user stood across from Adrian, trying to give him something to focus on.

"Almost," sweat was rolling down the back of his shirt; he was biting his lip so hard in concentration that it was beginning to bleed. Behind his eyes he could see his goal, could almost feel the river beneath his feet, he saw a flickering image of Sonya bathed in light, just like Dimitri had been that night of the attack; he tried to move his focus to the Guardian but his control faulted and a moment later faded completely.

Adrian sagged in defeat, he flopped to the ground, panting, but Sonya was beaming at him as the middle aged Moroi handed him a glass of cool liquid which he finished in one gulp. "Brilliant, brilliant a few more goes and I think you'll have it."

Adrian felt like even standing up was beyond him. Let alone another round of spirit using and it seemed Dimitri agreed, "Another day perhaps," the Guardian stepped in, "we could all use a rest and I've got to contact the court."

Adrian looked at him curiously, trailing a hand through his hair and messing it further. "What's happening there?" no longer could he rely on Rose's spirit dreams to keep him up to date on the latest news.

Dimitri's look was pensive, he shrugged. "A council meeting was to be held this morning, if Lissa's work has made any progress that should tell us."

"And in the mean time," Adrian said, wincing as he got to his feet, "you guys have been told to be extra alert." Not that Belikov wasn't constantly uptight anyway but in the last few days he seemed to have found an extra level of vigilance.

Dimitri didn't answer.

Adrian dusted off his pants and took a breath, a shadow of strain crossed his features and Sonya frowned, she raised her palms, "I could heal you." She offered.

Adrian brightened and gave her a 'go for it' gesture, a few seconds later the magic flowed from her hands and surrounded his lean body, then it faded.

And Adrian felt the same.

He blinked. "What happened?"

Dimitri frowned in consternation and walked over to the Moroi pair, peering at Adrian closely while Sonya looked in surprise at her palms. "I don't know," she said. "I used the same magic as always but…"

"The same thing happened to Rose." Dimitri's glance at Adrian upon the name was almost unperceivable, "When she was on the plane."

"That was ghosts then," Adrian answered doubtfully before he realised something "and her pain wasn't physical." He looked at Sonya, "I don't think we can heal mental issues, my body may have healed but it's my mind that's tired."

After a few moments of consideration the elder women nodded in compliance, "I know of nothing to contradict that theory but it certainly is…interesting, apparently magical excretion isn't something we can fix."

"We'll add it to the ever growing list of mysteries we have to solve then." Adrian muttered tiredly, it was true, he felt refreshed but still weary to his bones. He'd indulged in too much spirit today.

Dimitri attempted a small smile for the younger man, "Between the Strigoi cure and Vampire Hunters possibly on the loose, what's one more?"

Adrian didn't meet his eye, but nodded, "Just give me a mystery van and call me Daphne."

Dimitri frowned, before slowly, he answered, "Wouldn't you at least want to be Fred?"

Adrian looked at him in surprise; Belikov didn't exactly appear as the morning cartoons kind of guy, hell, he was having trouble picturing the Guardian as a child at all. More like he'd been born in a pod. Still, ever becoming with the quips, he answered, "Nah, Daphne's hotter and I'm pretty sure Fred was gay, the way he wore that scarf." Adrian shook his head in mock disgust.

Sonya looked between the pair of them, confused, at both the topic of conversation and the fact that the two men were conversing semi-politely at all. "What on earth, are you two talking about?"

Adrian and Dimitri shared the briefest of smirks.

* * *

><p>"You look like hell Ivashkov." Sydney observed after school that day, as he appeared in front of her and Jill when they hopped off the shuttle. The youngest Moroi was overcome with textbooks, and had been complaining about their teachers renewed zealous for homework when Adrian had appeared.<p>

He smirked at Sydney, "You certainly know how to flatter a girl Sage." He glanced at Jill, "Need a hand their Jailbait?"

Jill gratefully dumped half her books into Adrian's arms and then continued in the direction of their dorms. Sydney let her get a little ahead before stepping into place next to Adrian, "Seriously, what happened to you?" ever aware of her, he noticed the hesitation in her steps, she stood just a little further away from him than usual.

He looked at her thoughtfully, deciding wether she would like to hear about his latest magic endeavour. "I used up all my juice working with Sonya is all."

Next to him, he felt her tense, but she managed to carry on the conversation anyhow. "And what did you find?" was her jaw clenched?

"That Sonya looks the same as Belikov," Adrian answered, "at least from what I could tell." He frowned thoughtfully, "although we could really use someone there to test that against."

"I'd prefer not." Sydney answered sharply.

"I meant Jill, or Eddie." He said quickly, as they reached the steps to the dormitory he paused for a second to catch his breath. A stich was forming in his side.

"Adrian?" Sydney asked, forgetting their last discussion and looking at him with concern. "Are you alright?"

She reached out and caught his elbow. He was looking paler than usual and Sydney mentally calculated the days since they had last been to see Clarence and Dorothy for a feed.

He managed to flash her a small grin, "Fine Sage," he straightened and they continued into the building, slowing at Mrs Weathers desk, "You don't have to worry about me." He said gently, but there was something in his tone, that was a hidden appreciation.

Her hand was still on his arm and she was still standing with him when she suddenly noticed the two other people in the room, aside from the dorm matron, sitting in the visitors chair at the bottom of the room stairs. Her jaw dropped and her hand sprung away from him guiltily.

Adrian looked at her curiously. Sydney was flawed and afraid. Standing before them was her mother and her younger sister.

And they didn't look happy.

* * *

><p>Adrian saw the resemblance immediately but had no idea why Sydney's mother would have suddenly made an appearance at their supposed secret location. Mrs Sage looked at her daughter resolutely, "We need to talk."<p>

They most certainly did, Adrian looked at Sydney for a second trying to read her expression, when she finally met his eyes he wondered if he should be concerned. "Sage? Do you need me?" he asked softly, he shifted protectively closer to her without meaning to.

Sydney managed to swallow the lump in her throat and nod, "No…I, I'll come see you at Jill's after." She stuttered. He watched her face shut down and become like granite, unreadable.

Adrian nodded, he passed his gaze over the other two Sage women, memorising them while still trying to hide his curiosity. Sydney's mother looked determined, while her sister looked suspicious. Zoë gave him a dark look, which he ignored but was surprised to see. "Well, I'll let you ladies catch up then." He nodded politely at their guests and signed himself in before disappearing up the stairs to Jill's room. He could have sworn that Sydney's mother had been watching him all the way.

Sydney seemed to regain her composure, at his exit. "Let's go up shall we?" she asked rhetorically before signing her mother and sister into the dorm, her heart beating a mile a minute.

* * *

><p>"What do you mean?" Jill gaped as Adrian relayed the story to her; he had already taken a seat on her bed and was resting his eyes against her pillow.<p>

He sighed, "I mean her mother and her sister just turned up out in the hall, how is that complicated Jailbait?" he repeated.

Jill gaped again. "But how can they be here? Our location is supposed to be top secret." Not that she thought Sydney's family was a security threat, but still.

Adrian shrugged and he looked half asleep already, the old Jillian Mastrano would have been quite embarrassed to have him in her bed but she was still too overly distracted to notice. "What do you think they want?"

"I'm not psychic Jillian." He muttered.

She gave him a pointed look, which he couldn't see. There was a beat.

"You know what I mean."

"How'd Sydney take it?" was the next question.

Adrian paused to think on that one, picturing her face, of course he knew how protective of her sisters Sydney was, he'd pieced enough together of her blackmail deal with Abe, he also knew that her mother and her had been close when they were younger. But what that meant for the current situation he didn't know. He shrugged. "She seemed surprised but cool, you know, like she always does."

Jill nodded sedately before glancing at her clock, the sun would be down soon and she had lessons with Eddie, they were permitted on campus after hours but not off. Ever since the fight incident Eddie had been training her exceptionally hard, as well as completely ignoring Angeline when he wasn't giving her scathing looks. The younger Dhamphir was lucky to be left on campus and only a few threats of the Alchemists had made it so.

She looked at Adrian who was now snoring on her bed. She still had half an hour before she had to meet Eddie and a truckload of homework was calling her name, with a sigh the youngest Dragomir put aside her thoughts on Sydney, took off Adrian's shoes and socks and threw a blanket over him before sitting at her desk and cramming in some algebra.

* * *

><p>"Divorce?" Sydney tried not to sound too preachy but knew that was how her tone was anyway. She sat on her bed, Zoë at her desk and her mother in the centre of her room.<p>

Her mum nodded, the brown eyes that Sydney shared were resolute. "Yes, shipping you to Palm Springs without even consulting me was the beginning of it but once he tried to get Zoë caught up in all this as well…" She looked down right murderous and Sydney spared a glance at her younger sister whose cheeks were still bare but was watching with a pout.

"Yeah but…" Sydney knew she sounded childish but she couldn't help it, "Divorce?" her mother had often threatened it but part of Sydney had always believed her Christian values would pull through.

There was silence for a few moments before Zoë spoke up, she was still refusing to meet Sydney's eye and the Alchemist didn't think she had forgotten their last conversation, "Aren't you going to ask us how we got here?"

"Good point." Sydney acknowledged which led her mother into a tale about breaking into their father's office and stealing the information, before packing her things and driving her and Zoë across state lines.

Sydney looked at her sister, "What about Zoë?" she asked. Receiving a stuck-up head tilt in response, "What does she want to do?"

Her mother snapped, she threw her hands in the air, "That's the point, he'd convinced her to sign up for his little secret society too, as if that was really what she wanted." here the elder Sage glared at her youngest daughter who looked like she wanted to protest but years of discipline held her tongue. "Pleasing him Zoë," she said "is not a reason to throw your life away."

That stung Sydney, not that a tiny part of her didn't agree. Still her mother didn't have to be so despairing of the Alchemists, they may not be her favourite people at the moment and sure, they may possibly want her head on a platter if she didn't stop hanging out with vampires but that didn't mean they were wrong entirely. Sydney still truly believed in their purpose, despite a few exceptions to the rule, vampires, the good and the bad were a danger to humanity.

"Who was that guy you were with anyway?" that was Zoë, who seemed to have given up on her mother and was now starting on her sister instead. "He was Moroi." She said it in the famous Alchemist tone dripping with disgust.

"Well, why don't you just look it up in your—" she glared at her mother-"stolen files." Sydney answered coolly, for a moment her heart had skipped at the mention of Adrian; Zoë was far from knowing the truth but it still scared her.

"You two seemed pretty close?" that was an accusation and Sydney looked at her sister sharply.

Did they? Her sister could simply be looking for a fight. Sydney doubted her connection to Adrian was so obvious, she'd kept her distance from him ever since the first Vampire Hunter attack and although they'd slipped a few times, there was no way her sister could know that Sydney and Adrian were anything more than business associates.

But Ian had known. Hadn't he? Stanton was even in town, unease bubbled in Sydney's veins, how did the Alchemists seem to know so much about her illicit activities? In public she'd been nothing but a model citizen and Zoë…

"I think fighting with my supposed brother in public all the time would be a little suspicious don't you?" she asked coolly.

Zoë shrugged and looked away although for a second Sydney thought she saw the tiniest hurt flash in her eyes, not too long ago Sydney would have never raised her voice to her younger sister, yet now…

Mrs Sage had watched this exchange closely and muttered darkly at its conclusion, "This is what I mean, turning my own daughters against one another, Jarrod may think he controls the universe but he doesn't." she focused her attention on Sydney and took a breath, "Which is why we're really here, not to say goodbye but to ask you to come with us."

Sydney gaped, "Are you insane?"

Her mother ignored that, "Zoë and me are going to visit Carly for a while, then find a house. You could come with us, go to college, make friends, have a normal life. The one I should have given you all along." If it wasn't for the passion in her mother voice Sydney would have repeated her insanity question instead she just stared.

Did her mother truly believe the Alchemists were so weak? Sure, as long as Zoë's cheeks were unmarked she was free to change her mind, as Carly had, but trying to liberate her? Suicide. You couldn't retire from Alchemy. No matter how much the words on college and friends and normalcy had made Sydney hope.

"I'm just asking you to think about it." Her mother implored.

Sydney shook her head; she had always loved her mother than her father, no doubt. But the thought that this was all happening flawed her. For a moment the image of Adrian flashed behind her eyes before she shook it off, Alchemist or no, they would still never be together.

"I'm sorry."

Her mother looked defeated.

* * *

><p>Several hours later Sydney stood at edge of her alcove at Shark's driving range, smacking a bunch of golf balls into oblivion. Some girls had retail therapy, but she was taking a leaf from Rose's playbook and indulging her violent side.<p>

"_About that vampire guy," her mother was looking at her out of the corner of her eye as Zoe and her checked in their luggage to be boarded._

There was a knock on the wall behind her and Sydney shanked her shot, she turned to glare balefully at Adrian.

_Sydney tensed but answered coolly, "What about him?"_

It was early evening in Palm Springs and still muggy out, she pointed her club at him, "What do you want Ivashkov?" her voice tired.

_Her mother looked at her seriously, "Is he what we're supposed to be so afraid of?" she asked._

He shrugged, "Hey, I work here." He pointed out. She looked at him sceptically.

"I didn't know you were rostered on."

He shrugged again, this time there was a cute smile on his handsome face. "I wasn't. I was looking for you." He answered honestly.

_Sydney sighed, "You wouldn't understand." At least she wasn't the only one unthreatened by Adrian Ivashkov in his silk shirts._

"I'm fine." That was a lie, in fact she was suffocating, she felt like she was drowning in a sea of questions and guilt.

What were the Alchemists plotting? How did they know so much about her relationship with Adrian? Vampire Hunters and spirit powers, her parents divorce. It was just all too much.

And then there was the compulsion concoction she'd drunk. She looked at Adrian and wondered how he would react if he knew.

Would he forgive her this time?

For not trusting him, not trusting herself or her feelings.

_Her mother shrugged as their flight number was called, Zoë still wasn't talking to her elder sister and Sydney felt a pang of regret, "It's just he didn't look at you like he wanted to eat you."_

He smiled at her and the look in his green eye told of how he longed to touch her, to reach out and take her in his arms, his fingers actually twitched before he stilled, "What can I do Sage?"

What could he do? She didn't know. Was it already too late? Somehow the Alchemists knew what Sydney was only just coming to comprehend. There was no coming back from this. She couldn't feel something for Adrian then go on preaching about the evils of vampires.

She wasn't that hypocritical.

_Sydney watched her wearily _

_Her mother had the smallest of smirks and a secret look in her eye "He looked at you like you were the world."_

"I don't know." She whispered.

He crossed the space between them and took the club from her hands, slipping it behind his neck and resting his arms on the ends, he looked at her. "What will you do?" he asked softly.

Sydney sighed, she stepped away form him and to the edge of the alcove, sitting at its end and letting her legs hang over the lip, swinging childishly, her shoulders slumped. Her father would have more then a few words to say about her posture.

Adrian didn't hesitate to join her, sitting entirely too close to her, his shoulder warm against hers, he was still waiting for an answer. "I don't know." She repeated.

He could tell it killed her to say that, if there was one thing Sydney Sage hated it was to be lacking a purpose or more importantly, a path. But even her, who was used to twisting plots and dangerous people still couldn't get her head around her own world at the moment.

The Alchemists, closer than ever to taking her soul, Vampire Hunters suddenly joining the game and changing the rules. Then there were her parents, her sister and Adrian…always Adrian.

Out of the corner of her eye she looked at him, hair mussed as usual, green eyes facing away from her, the jaw line of a Roman statue and his shoulder barely touching hers. The thought made her insides squirm and she rolled her shoulders jarringly in a weak attempt to expel the feeling. Adrian noticed the movement and turned to her, she swallowed the lump in her throat as his eyes caught her.

That was the last straw, her world seemed to compress, her heart beat picked up in fear as her breath caught. She could see it all clearly in her mind, every piece of the complicated puzzle that made up her life and didn't fit anywhere but were determined to mould and shape her to its own puzzle.

"Sydney?" Adrian hesitantly reached his hand out to her, touching her shoulder and oddly reminding her of the kiss with Trey, the way he had touched her then pressed his lips to hers.

She'd been smothered then and wishing for Adrian.

She was with him now.

"Adrian?" did her voice just crack? In any case he seemed able to read her mind and she wondered if that was one of Spirits mystical powers for the next second he had closed the space between them and pulled her into his arms.

Although sitting in a precarious position above the golf range Sydney had never felt safer, she hugged him back, her nails digging through his shirt and into his back.

Adrian was welcoming every moment, glad for every second that she didn't pull away from him even though he knew every second she stayed in his arms was one step closer to the wrath of the Alchemists he didn't have the will to let her go as he had promised to.

Trying to rationalise each second he only realised then that she knew the dangers and was willing to face them.

He wondered what had changed her mind. He wondered if he could be as brave.

As he leant his face into the crook of her neck and she didn't freeze at the proximity of his fangs he wanted so badly to be brave.

Then she pulled back a little and instead looked into his eyes. He had said once before that he could paint them and now looking closer, he knew his attempt had fallen sorely short of showing what he saw.

She wondered at the potion in her blood, the concoction meant to protect her from his unnatural charms; she'd swallowed it and felt safe, now sitting so close to him, their bodies touching, his skin warm, his muscles hard and his eyes watching her so beseechingly, she felt like a fool.

There was nothing paranormal about Adrian Ivashkov or the fact she was so damn attracted to him and that scared the life out of her.

Another worry to add to her ever growing list.

If she didn't leave now, separate from him and school her face back to its usual calm and cool and collected then she would only make this one worse.

She tried to think of the Alchemists, of Horace and the white pinch to his skin where the fangs had torn him apart. Tried to think of Zoë and her father and the look on Ian's face as he tried to save her from herself, the determination on her mother's face as she spoke about leaving but in the end all she could think was Adrian.

That fear was crushing upon her once again but as she pressed her lips to his it left her in an instant.

Her nails left more marks in his skin as she clutched him tighter and heat pooled in her stomach. He kissed her back desperately, his mouth hot and hard.

Her fingers curled in his shirt (silk, of course) and she was practically in his lap. The rest of the golf range was quite around them, its few straggling patrons oblivious to the young couple as the night darkened and the flood lights were switched on.

It was this sudden change of ambiance that finally broke them apart. They said nothing for a few moments, simply breathing together before finally Adrian broke the quiet, "What does this mean Sage?" he meant that honestly. Despite being more experienced in the relationship stakes he was at her mercy. She was the one with everything to lose, her soul, her mind, everything.

The only thing he had to lose was her.

Sydney sighed, only one thing seemed clearer to her now but it seemed to have a domino affect on her other demons. Staying away from Adrian wasn't really an option anymore, so instead she would keep him closer. That would protect him and the others hopefully from the Vampire Hunters, but complicate things more with the Alchemists, they had to be kept in the dark, she had to find how they knew so much already, something tickled at the back of her mind, something she couldn't quite grasp, something that told her that it all fit together somehow.

And as for Adrian, well it wasn't compulsion and it wasn't wrong, she could no longer convince herself of either but what that meant for her and him she didn't truly know.

She said as much to Adrian and he smiled at her, content for now with that answer.

Content with her.

* * *

><p>An- There may be a longer break between this chapter and the next, just a heads up. Everything in the story should start coming together soon.


	8. Chapter 8

A/n: Sorry this one took so long, not many chapters left now. A small warning about some gore in this chapter. Thanks for all your comments guys.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 8<br>**

* * *

><p>"But it's Halloween!" Jill whined as she sat on Sydney's bed, legs tucked under her body. The light outside the window was just starting to turn orange as the sun set on another day at Amberwood.<p>

Angeline sat behind the Moroi princess, binding her hair into two pigtails; she was listening to the conversation with interest. Halloween and its various concepts weren't well known or celebrated with the Keepers and that in itself was enough to peak her fancy.

"Jill," Sydney started, "you're a vampire, every day of your life is Halloween." She finished, sitting at her desk trying to focus on physics homework and ignore the pleading princess and the gory decorations she could see out her window.

It was indeed the horror filled holiday and last period at Amberwood had been cancelled so the school could be transformed for the festivities. The soup at lunch had been coloured orange and black for the occasion, fake spider webs had been strung from every pillar and crevice in the halls and Sydney had overheard Laurel discussing her devil's costume (low cut and leather) loudly to Micah.

The Moroi pouted, "But that doesn't count, why can't we celebrate?"

"Celebrate?" Sydney looked up incredulously from her homework, "Do you even know what Halloweens about?"

Jill paused, "Apple…bobbing." She finally suggested.

Sydney rolled her eyes, she supposed it was rather hypocritical of her to preach the Alchemists dislike of the pagan holiday of magic when she herself was now involved in an affair of sorts with a vampire, but she couldn't help it. "Never mind, we're still not going."

"But the party's on campus, its supervised and everything." Jill argued.

Sydney snorted, "I doubt Mrs Weathers is in any position to protect you from rogue Strigoi Jill."

"Eddie will be there, so will Adrian."

Sydney's stomach leapt, she kept her voice cool, "Adrian? How did he wrangle an invitation?" she frowned, "it wasn't compulsion was it?"

"No." Jill shook her head quickly, "Trey invited him."

Sydney chocked, once her airway was clear, she swivelled in her chair and faced the two other girls, "When did Adrian speak to Trey?" she asked.

Jill looked amused while Angeline rolled her eyes in a knowing way, "Yesterday, Trey came to us looking for you and he and Adrian hit it off."

Sydney hoped she didn't mean that literally, the thought of Trey and Adrian in her mind didn't co-exist, although that did remind her of another argument. "Plus," she gestured to the Dhamphir girl, "We can't leave Angeline alone, she's been put on house arrest because of your fight." Sydney looked disapproving, she'd let Eddie discipline the girls for that, although she had saved her own lecture for back-up, should it be required.

The Dhamphir girl snorted. "As if, this place can't hold me, I'll go as a ghost and sneak in." Her and Jill had already snuck a sheet from their dorm and cut two eye holes in it for the occasion.

Sydney, bless her, looked put out at the blatant rule breaking but was out of options, "Fine, you two can go, with Eddie." She stressed, "But I'll stay here."

They she remembered her promise to keep the others safe from Vampire Hunters by using her convenient human power of existence and knew that wasn't an option, especially as Jill was looking at her with those big eyes.

She sighed defeated. "Fine."

* * *

><p>The party was in full swing and the decorations, Sydney had to admit, looked great. Black and orange streamers hung from the roof of the west dorm's main room, there were jack-o-lanterns in every corner, their eerie faces glowing in the darkness, there were plastic bats tied to the doors, armed to swoop down on entering guests and the students dressed in all their horrified glory were mingling around the room, teachers who were still stern and less into the festivities tried to keep teenagers from mating on the dance floor and keep a wary eye on the punch at the same time.<p>

Jill was dressed as an Egyptian pop-culture version of Cleopatra; Sydney had reluctantly helped her draw some authentic hieroglyphs on her cheeks, much to the younger girls delight and she was now nursing a cup of plain orange juice as she swayed to the music. Eddie who was dressed as Pinocchio, complete with over large nose was still on guard, even in such an enclosed space, he hadn't left Jill's side all evening.

Sydney, of course, was the only one not dressed up and was trying not to scowl, she didn't mind parties entirely, but this one was a celebration of magic and various mystical hijinks, it didn't necessarily appeal to her.

"What me to freshen up that juice for you jailbait?" Adrian appeared behind them and Jill burst into laughter as he wagged his flask at her. Eddie looked torn between being annoyed at the drinking and laughing at the Moroi's attire.

Sydney looked him up and down and bit off a smirk, instead she raised an eyebrow at him and asked, deadpan, "Let me guess, you came as a vampire?" He had indeed, a very camp vampire, including plastic fangs, cape, eyeliner and fake blood splattered on his lips.

He toasted his flask to her and took a sip, "Right you are Sage and let me guess, you came as the most boring person on earth."

She scowled at him, "Now come on, that's not fair, you don't know everyone on earth." She said sarcastically.

"Touché," Adrian commented taking another sip, seeing that reminded Sydney of the buffet table and she looked passed his shoulder, back the way he had come.

"My God!" she cried, "you spiked the punch!" she deduced.

Adrian gave her a piteous look, "What's a party without some illegal drinking Sage?" Jill giggled, Sydney looked mortified.

Adrian stepped closer to her, tucking his flask back into his pocket he leaned down to her, "By the way, I saw Angeline, she looked like she was about to start another fight with some girl with red hair in a devil's costume."

Sydney groaned, she grabbed Adrian by the lapel and hauled him into the crowd, "Then we best find her before that happens." She called back to Eddie and Jill, "Watch her!" and then disappeared into the crowd with Adrian.

Being among the crowd of students reminded her uneasily of that night at the club; she bit her lip remembering the feel of Adrian, his arms around her. The vampire stayed close to her in the melee as they searched for Angeline and Laurel.

A pair of dancing werewolves distracted them for a moment before Adrian cleared a path by swishing his cape and smacking people on the back on the head. The song overhead changed to retro-pop and Adrian quickly pressed his advantage, taking Sydney by the hand and pulling her with him through the path of students dressed as ghouls.

They came to the edge of a circle of people and Sydney narrowly avoided being crushed by a falling Frankenstein, Adrian grabbed her at the last second pulling her away from the collision. Sydney looked up and saw what had caused her near death experience.

Angeline stood in the centre of students, as did Laurel, who true to her word, was dressed as a devil, complete with tight red leather and thigh highs. The Frankenstein must have been her date and clearly Angeline had just sent him flying with a shove for reasons unknown. Sydney tried to step in but was held back by Adrian as Laurel shrieked. "You stupid bitch! Could you be any more of a freak?"

Angeline's eyes glinted at the potential challenge and Sydney saw her knuckles curl into fists at her side, the Dhamphir smirked at her prey, "Could you be any more of a slut?" she spat taking a threatening step forward. "Don't start fights you can't finish human."

Woah. Danger territory. Sydney broke free of Adrian's grasp and quickly took Angeline by the arm, her sudden appearance perking up the watching crowd again.

She stepped close to the Dhamphir and hissed in her ear, "Careful, if the next words out of your mouth aren't 'I'm sorry', they'll be your last."

Angeline glared at her, the muscles under Sydney's hand, hard and itching for a fight, unconsciously Sydney was aware of Adrian stepping in behind her protectively; he was watching both of them closely. "The same goes for you Alchemist," Angeline growled, at least having the sense to keep her voice low.

Sydney matched her eye, offended and angry, her voice dropped another octave, "That's enough, back off now before I say the word and your back living in caves with the Keepers. Or do you like your life here?"

A spark of anger filled the younger girls' eyes at the insult to her people but it was followed by common sense, there was a dangerous beat, before slowly, Angeline's body relaxed. Her expression didn't change however and she was glaring at Sydney with unadulterated hate, much like the first time they had met. "Fine." She spat. Tugging her arm free and shooting Laurel a dangerous look before storming away pushing aside the crowd much to their complaint.

Sydney let out a breath she'd been holding and quickly turned on Laurel, who suddenly looked a lot less cocky, under Sydney's glare, she touched her hair self consciously. "Why are you still here?" the Alchemist asked coldly.

Laurel seemed to consider snapping back before thinking better of it, she spun on her heel, managing still to flick her red hair luxuriously as she claimed her bruised date again and disappeared.

"That was hot." Sydney expected the lude comment to come from Adrian but instead recognised Trey's voice. She turned back to the men and found them standing next to each other, Trey grinning at her from under silver face paint that was meant to look like circuitry and a fake red contact on one eye that reminded her of an old horror movie she had seen once but couldn't place.

"Where did Angeline go?" she asked instead of commenting.

Adrian jerked his head to the left, "That way." His fake fangs slipped a little from his mouth and Sydney sighed.

"We should follow her then." She started to leave, Adrian following before she paused and turned to Trey who was still watching her admiringly, "Can you do me a favour?" she asked.

He shrugged, in his black leather jacket, "Sure." He flashed her charming grin.

"Keep an eye on Jill and Eddie for me." The football player nodded as Sydney and Adrian continued away. The vampire stepped close to her giving her a bemused look, but declined to comment.

Instead, finally, he said "He's right." She looked at him, "That was pretty hot."

* * *

><p>Angeline was back under her sheet and not talking to Sydney at all, the awkward circumstances making the night less fun than it should have been, at about a quarter to midnight, Adrian finally called quits of the whole she-bang, "Right then kiddies," he said with an exaggerated yawn, which ended with his arm over Jill's shoulder, making her giggle, "I'll be heading home, us, functional members of society," he gave Sydney a posh look, "have work to get to tomorrow."<p>

Eddie looked at him dubiously, "What will those geriatric housewives do without you in their day?"

Adrian nodded as if he didn't realise he was being insulted, "Right you are Edward, I can't disappoint the masses."

"We should go too," Jill said with a disappointed frown, "I've got chemistry tomorrow and Sydney still refuses to do my homework for me." She flashed the Alchemist a grin who rolled her eyes in response and shrugged, looking at Adrian.

"Do you need a ride home?" she asked.

Adrian brightened, possibly at the convenience of avoiding public transport but most likely at getting to spend more time with her, "Sure," he looked at her despairingly, "especially since I could drive myself if not for your lack of mechanic skills."

Sydney resited the urge to roll her eyes again; the car was actually coming along quite well and would be finished by the end of the month, "If it wasn't for me Ivashkov, you'd be driving a Bug right now."

Adrian looked mortified and Jill and Eddie laughed.

"I'll come too." Sydney looked in surprise at Angeline. Who didn't meet her eye but shrugged grudgingly. "If I go back to the dorms now, the matron will be there, best to sneak in later when their not looking for me."

Their romantic car ride just got awkward, although neither Sydney nor Adrian objected to the Dhamphirs presence. They were on their way out when Trey's sudden appearance stopped them. In his arms was a half empty punch bowl. He looked at them disappointed, "You're leaving already?" he asked.

Sydney nodded, "Yeah," she gestured to Adrian, "got to get this one home." She eyed the bowl in his hands wearily, "What are you doing with that?"

Trey looked disgruntled, he shrugged, "Tossing it, one of the teachers realised it was spiked, of course, that was _after_ Beth Risedale decided to streak across campus naked."

Sydney looked appalled while Adrian looked pleased with himself, he beamed at her. "I told you it'd liven up this party Sage."

Angeline rolled her eyes, not in the mood, while Trey frowned at them, looking between Adrian and Sydney, "Sage? Why do you call her that?"

They shared a glance before Adrian adapted a blasé attitude and shrugged, "From when we were kids…long story."

For a moment she thought Trey didn't believe him before he nodded lazily, "Okay," he raised a hand to them, "Well have a good night, I'll see you in class Melbourne."

Adrian smirked as they walked across campus, he bent down, nudging Sydney in the shoulder and whispering in her hear. "Why does _he_ call you that?"

Sydney sighed. _Men_.

* * *

><p>Latte hummed beneath their feet, Adrian sat in the passenger seat, sober (mostly) this time, he had removed his fake fangs and put them on her dashboard, much to her dismay and bitching about hygiene. Angeline sat in the back, arms crossed, refusing to speak to either one of them, in her eyes they'd done her dishonour and backing down from a fight was the worst crime a Keeper could commit.<p>

The lights of the city burned outside the windows as they came to some roadworks a few minutes out from Adrian's apartment, Latte rolled to a stop at the flashing lights and a man in yellow safety gear, sporting a lollipop sign waved them to a detour.

Sydney sighed, she hoped Eddie and Jill wouldn't worry about their absence, Adrian reached out a hand to fiddle with the radio and she caught his wrist with a grimace. "Do you wanna keep it?"

What was it with him and changing her radio stations?

He deftly slipped his hand from her grasp and she guessed purposely brushed his fingers across the inside on her arm, she ignored the goosebumps the action invoked as she took a left and turned onto a back road on the way to his apartment. It was late, but early for the holiday, but there was little traffic.

Adrian smirked at her as Latte sped up, he looked darned cute in that stupid cape of his and it took Sydney a minute to realise what she would have normally picked up in seconds.

Spikes on the road.

She slammed on the breaks and Angeline almost head butted the back of Sydney's seat; Adrian clutched his door in desperation as the brakes squealed, rubber against road.

_Pop!_ The sound of tires bursting was misplaced in her fear as Sydney lost control of the car. The world flipped before them and metal squealing made their ears ring. They were pinned by their seatbelts as Latte skidded on its top across the road and onto the gravel of the side bank.

There was silence, the raining of glass, a groaning of metal and a sharp throbbing pain in Sydney's head as her vision swam, her feet were stuck, and her entire left leg was radiating pain all the way to her thigh. Slowly, slowly her senses returned and she became aware of the spider web like look of her windshield, Adrian was next to her, flung awkwardly against the roof, he was conscious however and looked at her. Blood dripped from his chin, which was split, in the centre.

"Sage, you okay?" he panted. The lights form the street seemed to be flickering or maybe it was her sight doing that.

By way of answer, "Angeline?" there was no reply and Sydney's heart skipped a beat.

She tugged painfully against her seatbelt and realised her hands were covered with blood, her cheek had started to go numb and she could hear a buzzing in her ears. "Adrian," she called desperately, "We've got to get her—" _chink!_

There was a crack of glass in her ringing ears and she looked up in surprise as Adrian made a small sound of shock. He met her eye one last time, clutching a small silver dart in his neck, it was leaking an eerier blue liquid.

"Adrian!"

He collapsed in front of her eyes, still held in place by the seatbelt. Headless to her injuries Sydney struggled against her broken car holding her in place. "Adrian!" she called again, through the broken windshield she could see people approaching. Hear their footsteps.

Her first thought was Vampire Hunters, her second was for Adrian and her third was for Angeline.

She squirmed free of the seatbelt and pulled on her pinned leg. Fire shot up through her foot and shin and she cried out in agony, only fear could override the pain and in anguish she managed to free the limb at last, she struggled free of the drivers side door, and stood up, surveying the world.

Latte was on its roof, by the side of the road, banged up all to hell, the windows and windshield smashed. At the far end of the road, she could see three black SUV's, closer to them than that were three groups of people, wearing black and barrelling towards them, they carried guns.

One of them raised their weapon and Sydney just had time to duck behind the ruins of her car before a projectile flew over her head.

Crouched, she could still hear them coming although there was a ringing in her ear that told her something had been damaged. She peered through the wreckage and fear gripped her heart as she spied Adrian still unconscious in his seat and Angeline, sprawled against the back, not moving, face covered in blood.

She had no weapons and was severely injured, what could she do? As the footsteps reached them then, and black figures surrounded her she knew the answer.

Nothing.

_Adrian_, she thought. She struggled to fight but was quickly subdued, a distinctly human body pushed her against the car and her broken leg cried out in agony as it was forced to move.

It took her a moment to realise that her attacker's faces were uncovered. The thought filled her with dread. They didn't care if she saw them.

Then something foul smelling and wet, a rag, was pressed against her nose, and she tried not to breathe, pressing against the body pinning her she saw only enough to identify one thing about him before she passed out.

A golden lily tattoo.

The Alchemists didn't care.

They had nothing to fear.

* * *

><p>An: We don't really have Halloween where I'm from, so I hope I got the atmosphere right. Thanks again for all your comments guys, really appreciate it.


	9. Chapter 9

A/n: Sorry this took so long, I haven't been able to log into my account for some reason, but it seems to be fixed. A little exposition chapter, before the mystery moves along. As always, thanks for all your comments again guys, really appreciated. Sorry again.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 9<strong>

* * *

><p>Rose Hathaway wanted to scream.<p>

She wanted to cry and throw things and punch someone or something.

Anything but sit here feeling useless.

Adrian was gone.

So was Dimitri.

She chocked. They were sitting in Sonya's apartment, her, Janine, Abe, Eddie, Jill, Angeline, Sonya and Stan.

The Vampire Hunters, for it was certainly humans, they had attacked Dimitri while he was sweeping Sonya's buildings perimeter and Adrian had been taken down by a poison dart made with UV radiation.

She didn't know why they'd taken Sydney as well. Although Stan still doubted it, believing the Alchemist had simply run off in the chaos.

Rose had wanted to hit him then.

Jill attempted it, only Eddie had held her back.

The Alchemists, as usual, weren't saying a thing.

The vote was being held in the council today, if Lissa's law passed then Jill would finally be safe and Adrian and Dimitri and Sydney would have been kidnapped for nothing.

Just a day earlier and they would all be safe.

Did she mention she wanted to hit something?

"What are we doing?" she asked her voice low.

Stan looked at her; he was dressed, as always, in guardian black and white. "We're being prepared, these people, whoever they are," clearly he wasn't quite accepting the Vampire Hunter theory quite yet, "Are technologically advanced and more then equipped to deal with vampires. We need a plan before we even think of getting the Princess to lead us there."

Jill looked like she wanted to protest but it was Eddie who spoke, "What do you suggest?" he asked coolly.

"I don't know." Stan shrugged honestly, he was thinking hard but not there yet.

That started an argument, one that Rose was more then happy to get involved in, Abe watched the contest with amusement before he finally spoke, "May I be of assistance?" he asked, quieting the room.

Rose glared at him, flicking her hair out of her eyes, "If you've got a solution old man you best spit it out before I throttle you." She sounded like she meant it to.

Abe, to his credit barely spared her a glance, he took a moment to be sure he had everyone's attention before finally saying, "Humans."

There was a pause.

Slowly, Janine spoke, "Abe, that's insane."

He sprung up lightly from his chair on Sonya's couch, "Not even my dear," he flashed her a grin, "Say we guess, from Dimitri's first encounter with these folks that they seem unprepared for humans, if we could round up enough of them it could work."

"Which is precisely the problem," Stan cut in, giving Abe an unimpressed look, "unless you intend to attack with an army of feeders, you can't use humans and don't—" he glared at everyone—"even suggest Alchemists. I'm still considering the possibility of Sydney Sage being involved in all this."

Jill glared.

Rose suspected Stan still hadn't forgiven the blonde for the time she had lied to him about Roses kidnapping and jailbreak. The Dhamphir stood up, drawing the attention of the room. "All of this will be moot, if Jill can't actually lead us to them." Rose wasn't trying to be harsh and gave the Moroi princess an encouraging smile.

Jill looked suddenly alarmed to have everyone staring at her but quickly recovered, "I can do it," she said firmly, "I've found him before. I'll do it again." If Rose didn't know any better she would swear it was Queen Vasilisa passing an edict in front of her.

"And I know where we can get humans."

Angeline's voice stopped everyone again, as they remembered their earlier issue. Abe looked smug but Stan looked at her doubtfully, he knew little of the Keepers.

"And pray tell, what is your brilliant plan?" he asked.

She gave him a challenging look and a smirk, managing to look quite badass even with a bandaged head and split lip. "To call home." She grinned at Rose whose eye lit up with recognition, "We've got all the human's—one's who can fight—you could ever need."

And a plan was made.

* * *

><p><em>Adrian could smell breakfast.<em>

_His mouth began to water and the bare-chested Moroi rolled over in his bed, trying to decide between the calls of his stomach and tiredness._

_When he remembered who could be the only person cooking breakfast for him he made the decision._

_Yawning, his hair messier than ever, he loped his way into the kitchen, it was true morning, on the human schedule and he grinned as he found the woman in his kitchen._

"_Morning," he dropped a kiss onto her shoulder._

_Sydney glanced back at him while still keeping an eye on the eggs; he wrapped his arms around her waist and tucked his chin into the crook of her neck, "I didn't know you could cook."_

_He knew she was smiling. "Cooking's the same as chemistry; it's all about how much of this and that." She flipped the omelette in the pan, showing the golden brown side._

_He grinned and reached for a fork, leaning over her arm he snagged a piece on the end. "Its not finished yet," Sydney complained._

_He rolled his eyes at her, blew on the egg and popped it into his mouth. There was some spice that tasted sweet as well as mushroom and peppers. Adrian groaned, sagging against the counter. "That," he sighed, "is better than sex."_

_Sydney gave him a droll look and couldn't resist teasing him, "Really? Well I think we must be doing it wrong then."_

_He looked at her balefully as she titled the pan and deposited the now fully cooked omelette onto a plate, then suddenly, he smirked, "All the more reason to practice." He quipped._

_Sydney laughed._

And his world disappeared.

Adrian groaned, the world he was truly waking up in didn't compare at all to his dream. He was on a hard bed, with a metal something wrapped around his throat, his hands were shackled, and there was a drip and IV in his arm.

He felt like hell.

And he wasn't alone.

A man in a suit stood in front of him, there was something familiar about his features but Adrian couldn't place him, he was most certainly human however. The man nodded to him as he woke.

"Good morning Mr Ivashkov."

"Bullshit." Adrian snapped.

The man smiled, he fished in his pockets and retrieved a lighter and a pack of cigarettes, "Would you like a smoke, Mr Ivashkov?"

Hey, why not? It's not like they had to resort to poising him when he was already strung up like a Christmas turkey.

The man lit his cigarette and Adrian raised his cuffed hands to take a breath. "Who are you?"

"I'm what you call a Vampire Hunter."

To the point.

"Otherwise know as a Child of Ra."

That was quite a mouthful.

"What do you want?" Adrian took another puff.

The man looked regretful for a moment, "We, Mr Ivashkov," he pulled from the inside of his coat a syringe which was filled with some eerie blue liquid. "Need to determine only one thing." He stuck the point of the syringe into Adrian's IV and pushed the plunger, "and that is weather you deserve to live." He sounded so matter-o-fact

Adrian began to feel nauseous, as fire dripped into his veins; sweat broke out on his forehead, the cords in his neck strained. His cigarette fell to the ground where it smouldered.

The man looked at him and seemed satisfied if not truly happy, "If you are a good man then I am truly sorry for what we're about to put you through. If you're not…" He shrugged and his eyes became hard, "well then torture will be the least of your worries."

* * *

><p>Rose was in a spirit dream and for a moment she thought that Adrian had come to her, that he was calling for her help but no, it wasn't his emerald eyes that met her but Lissa's jade green ones.<p>

Rose opened her mouth but the Queen answered first, "Passed, by an inch." Lissa looked relieved but tired and her weariness was valid. Her green eyes showed the weight of the world, her blonde hair rustled in the wind which felt real on their skin.

"Dimitri? Adrian?"

Lissa had mastered spirit dreams but hers were never quite as vivid as Adrian's, Rose sat in the grounds of St Vladimir's, it was sunny out and Moroi wouldn't usually exposes themselves to such weather. The church was in the background; Rose forced herself not to look for Dimitri's cabin.

She wouldn't be able to look back.

"We're going to the Keepers." Lissa looked alarmed and Rose didn't blame her. "Abe thinks we need humans to take on the Vampire Hunters."

"So they are Vampire Hunters then?" How would she protect her people?

Rose nodded, she was wearing ski clothes for some reason, the ones form the lodge, but didn't feel over smothered. She took off her gloves at least, "What else? They weren't Dhamphir or Moroi or even Strigoi, humans would need a reason to kidnap our kind."

"What about the Alchemists?" Lissa asked, sitting in the grass next to her best friend, she was dressed in plain clothes, not her usual royal attire.

Rose grimaced as she remembered Sydney, "They're insisting that Sydney was merely re-assigned and is uncontactable at the moment. If they knew about these hunters at all they're not letting on and technically we have no authority over them."

Lissa's eyebrows rose in disbelief, "You think they're in on it? Why would they kidnap one of their own?"

Rose shook her head, pulling up some grass and tearing it into strips, it didn't feel right, Lissa could never make dreams like Adrian, just as he could never heal with such ease as she did. "I don't know," Rose sighed. "I know Sydney's not exactly their star employee but I can't see why they wouldn't want her rescued, unless it's some Alchemist party line to cover their asses."

"But why would Vampire Hunters take a human?" Lissa wondered. The school bell rang in the distance.

"I don't know. Why would they take Dimitri either, he's not a real vampire." Damn, she wouldn't let her voice crack but it did anyway.

Lissa seemed to read Roses despair then and without another word pulled her best friend into a hug, Rose clung to her, letting the tears fall, comfortable in the fact that in a dream there were no witnesses.

"We'll find them Rose." Lissa stroked her hair, "Adrian and Dimitri, your Alchemist as well."

Lissa had all the power in the Moroi world and Rose wanted nothing more than to believe her best friend.

When she found the bastards who did this there wasn't going to be anything left to interrogate.

* * *

><p>Eddie watched the sun outside Sonya's window set, there was the murmur of low voices from the kitchen, but the words were obscured to him. Jill sat next to him on the couch, the days' activities had exhausted her, she had spent that last few hours trying to get a better sense of Adrian through the bond and had finally collapsed into sleep a few minutes ago.<p>

She was using his arm as a pillow and it had quickly gone numb, he didn't bother to move it thought. At the sounds of footsteps on linoum he looked up to spy Janine Hathaway entering the room, apparently tired of the conversation between the others. She spared him a smile and a nod. "How is she?"

He looked down at Jill's sleeping form, the sound of her breathing the only sound in the room. "Alive, and here," he paused as worry for his friends and his fellow guardian pierced him, "which is better then somewhere else."

"We'll find them, you know." There wasn't a sliver of doubt in her voice and it was uncanny how much she reminded him of Rose, she took a seat on the recliner opposite him and tucked her legs under her body. "Dimitri will keep Adrian safe till then."

Eddie thought on that for a moment, "I thought we didn't do rescue missions." A memory of dark caves with shinning red eyes glowing in the darkness plagued him for a second and he froze, Jill shifted a little against him at the change of posture and he slowly relaxed.

If Janine had noticed his reaction she didn't comment, "These aren't Strigoi." She said softly and it was clear by her words that to her it wouldn't matter if they were being held captive by a hundred undead vampires, Janine Hathaway would still be mounting a rescue mission, daughter in tow. Eddie supposed Dimitri was her family now.

"No." he shook his blonde head, "They're humans," his words seemed to still the room.

_Humans._

Almost synonymous with feeders to many of the Moroi and Dhamphires only Alchemists garnered any real respect from their kind, and even then it was reluctant. Moroi may live among humans but they didn't share they're lives, for centuries they had trusted their existence to the banal nature of humans and now it seemed they were paying the price.

He remembered the look on Sydney face as she researched Tamara's death, that look in her eye that in hindsight showed what he was just now learning. "This changes everything doesn't it?"

He held Jill tighter.

Janine watched him, her eyes, alight with guardian watchfulness; finally she took a breath and nodded.

"Yes, Eddie, I think it might."

* * *

><p>Sydney was back at Amberwood.<p>

It felt real but it wasn't possible. Her dorm was warm and alight with sun, her covers were soft under her touch, she could almost hear Mrs Weathers patrolling the halls looking to interrupt any romantic interludes.

Then she saw Adrian, dressed in his flashy work uniform and knew the reason why it felt so real to her, what could only be a dream, she stood up from her bed indignant. "Adrian!" She snapped, "Let me outta here now!" was it her imagination or were the walls closing in on them?

He looked at her and seemed to be slowly realising, "This is a spirit dream isn't it?"

She threw up her hands, "Why are you asking me?" she said scornfully, she looked around at the room and a familiar fear of magic settled in her veins. She shivered; the room had suddenly lost its warmth.

"Because I didn't try to make it…it just happened." And then his eyes changed and he looked just as scared as she was.

Sydney narrowed her eyes, through the fear of magic more thoughts seemed to be latching onto her brain and she was remembering. It was like trying to recall long forgotten song lyrics, at the back of her mind but so close, she shivered again, the feeling trailing her spine, not magic making her uneasy, but something.

She frowned. "Did something happen to us?"

Unconsciously she reached for her neck and found blood and for a moment her heart seemed to constrict in her chest.

_Vampire._

But no, sense overrode fear and she realised she hadn't been bitten, she'd been hurt. In an accident…Angeline? Latte?

Then taken somewhere…far away, in the back of a car, there was a voice, warm and familiar saying unhappy words. "Adrian?" she looked at him, her voice shaking. sdrian, something had happened to him, to her, she felt far away form him but didn't know why.

He shook his head, the pom pom on his hat rustling, "I don't know, but I think I prefer it here." He looked at her eyes beseeching. "Please Sydney, please can we stay?"

There was a need in his voice she had never heard.

The magic tingled against her skin and Sydney wanted to disappear but something kept her feet grounded. The look on his face. Her breath seemed to catch.

"Adrian," she whispered, fear clogging her words, he reached out and touched her and she caught his hand like a life saver, his fingers were warm and solid, every step closer to him her heart seemed to slow, her breathing eased.

She didn't comprehend speaking the words but they were clear anyway.

"Okay. We can stay." she breathed.

Somewhere in the world, Adrian's body suffered as his mind escaped.

Dimitri had no such power.

Sydney was among friends, who were about to do something truly horrible for God's reasons.

The means justified the ends.


	10. Chapter 10

A/n; Don't own, don't sue.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 10<strong>

* * *

><p>"Where would you go?" He asked curiously, "if you could go anywhere in the world."<p>

"Rome." She answered without pausing to think. It was true, although if she ever returned to conscious existence there wasn't much chance she'd ever see it. She went where she was told, when she was told.

Adrian smiled, he sat on her bed, legs crossed, holding her hand and studying the patterns her saw there. Her skin was smooth, only a small scar crossing between her knuckles on her third and fourth finger broke the perfection; he ran his thumb over the raised skin. "Where did you get this?"

A shiver ran down his spine and he suspected that his body wasn't nearly as peaceful as his mind. "In Russia." She answered, putting an accent of then name which made him smile.

He linked his fingers with hers; every touch from him seemed to distract her from her fear just a little more, "Did you fight Strigoi, Sage?" he lifted her hand and bushed her fingers to his lips.

She shook her head, for a moment there was a distracted look in her eye, like she was somewhere else, then, "Just a sleazy human guy."

Adrian laughed, "You were right, you don't need my chivalry." Sydney took her hand back, looking at the scar perplexed.

"I couldn't punch then…" She trailed off, remembering Eddie's lessons.

There was a few moments silence as Sydney sat trapped in thought and Adrian watched her, finally he stood from the bed and offered her his hand with a handsome grin. "So Rome, huh?"

She looked up at him curiously and nodded slowly.

"Then Rome it is."

And the world changed.

* * *

><p>Rose gripped her stake with white knuckles, the weapon may not have mystic power over humans as it did Strigoi but it would more then kill them, in her other hand, she carried a weapon she had only a few weeks experience with, a gun.<p>

It felt heavy and thuggish in her hand, its shape and structure had none of the finesse of her usual weapon of choice, but it was loaded and deadly and that was all she needed.

The car beneath her feet was smooth; she sat surrounded in the back of the van by three other Dhamphirs, her mother one of them, and two other curious additions, humans.

Rose studied them out of the corner of her eye, their tanned skin, stout bodies and bright eyes masked their hard muscles. They carried guns as well, also, curiously, weapons she had almost no experience with, knives.

The eldest of the pair, a young man with blue eye and bite scars covering his neck, so many they practically merged together into one big white blur on his skin caught her eye and grinned. He was exited.

Rose wasn't, couldn't fathom it. Her stomach had been rolling with fear ever since the court had been contacted and they'd been told of Dimitri and Adrian's predicament, now she was just tense, only the calming presence of Janine Hathaway gave her any strength.

They had returned from the Keepers in record time and Adrian and Dimitri hadn't yet to wait three days but every second still burned Rose's mind, like a ticking time bomb counting down to destruction.

The problem had been of course, convincing the backwards elders of the Keepers to help their most hated enemies, the Tainted, although Dimitri may be a friend to them, the fact that he was no longer a fugitive but a fierce protector of the Tainted Queen didn't help his case and Adrian himself was a royal and a reminder of everything the Keepers stood against.

It had almost come to blows, between Stan and Rose and Angeline's father, when an unusual force had stepped in.

The Alchemists.

Rose's eyes had narrowed as she recognised the lily tattoo, the man in a crisp suit, seemed vaguely familiar in some way Rose couldn't place but as he spoke and threatened to remove the Alchemists assistance to the Keepers continued existence as well as the promise of more rewards she had begun to trust him. If only because his help was getting her closer to saving Dimitri.

A deal had been struck and the man had left without even a word to them, as he passed, his eyes moved over Rose and there was something that was hidden in his expression. He nodded at them; it seemed the Alchemist's allegiance lay with the Moroi again, although the mystery of Sydney still hung over their trust like a cloud.

That brought her worries for her friend to the front of her mind and she shifted, uncomfortable in her seat as the van rumbled towards their destination. She could only hope Jill was leading them in the right direction.

Angeline had been unconscious after the accident and therefore had been unable to give them any clues. With the Alchemists keeping quiet and Adrian still MIA, they had little to no clues to their thousands of questions.

The road and the car had shown signs of premeditation, if they're enemies were indeed Vampire Hunters as they suspected, then why would Sydney, a human, also be taken? Was it because she was close to them and had protected Dimitri before? Or some other reason?

And then of course, how did these hunters even know where to find Adrian and Dimitri in the first place? They're whereabouts had supposedly been top secret.

Rose was snapped from her thoughts as their vehicle rolled over a speed bump, the night outside the windows was dark and they had long left Palm Springs and LA behind. They would be far from the city when everything went down.

Rose spared her mother another glance and the hand on her gun tightened, it carried twelve rounds. She wondered if twelve lives would be worth sacrificing for Dimitri.

These were humans not Strigoi. She remembered Victor suddenly and knew she would do anything to save the man she loved.

But hoped it wouldn't come to that.

* * *

><p>Sydney couldn't breathe, she stared with wonder at the space around her, and for a moment she forgot all about magic and was instead caught up in the mystic of the eternal city.<p>

Adrian grinned, loving her reaction as they stood out the front of a gelato shop tucked against the busy street, people all around them milled, speaking Italian, carrying shopping bags and drinking coffee. The sun was overhead but it didn't bother him in the least, swallowing, Sydney managed to get her voice back and turn to him, "How are you doing this?" she whispered.

He grinned, "I've been here." He admitted, "When I was sixteen, my parents came for a trip and dragged me along," he wouldn't mention he'd spent more time studying the local female inhabitants than the architecture. "I thought you'd like it."

She kissed him.

Adrian was a little surprised but reacted none the less, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her against him. Even in the dream their display of affection seemed to have no impact on the Italian patrons, something about them seemed so expected to others.

When she finally pulled back from him Sydney Sage had never smiled so bright. "This place is amazing," for a moment she sobered, "its hard to believe it's all…magic."

He lifted his fingers to her chin, touching her jaw line, "Does that mean you won't stay?"

For a second she hesitated, warring with her ingrained fears and the overwhelming presence of the beautiful city and of him…Adrian, Christ, she didn't want to leave him, wanted to stay here, in his arms for as long as she could.

If they were really in a dream, then it was possible, no threat of the Alchemists or judgements from either of their species. They could just be.

She held him a little tighter. "No, Adrian, I'll stay. I promise."

She didn't know why a shiver ran down her spine at those words.

* * *

><p>The Humans would go in first, backed up by the Magical wielding Moroi and the Dhamphirs; hopefully the Homosapiens could disarm their enemies of any potentially vampire destroying weapons.<p>

It was an office building, with various windows and swaths of paint, Jill had said what they were looking for was hidden below. The Moroi princess would be staying in the vans, guarded by three Dhamphirs and one Moroi from the court, the Keepers, Janine had said, with Stan agreeing, couldn't be trusted if they found out her true importance to the Lissa and the throne.

Rose stood with her team, armed and ready, her mother on her left. Janine Hathaway looked just as deadly as her daughter.

It was time to move.

And it was over in a matter of minutes.

* * *

><p>They sat on the steps on the Roman Forum, Adrian was playing with a trickle of sand, while Sydney was reading from a guide book, she flipped the page and glanced at him from the corner of her eye, he sat lazily on the steps, legs sprawled, resting on his elbow. He was darned gorgeous and being in Rome surrounded by reminders of his resemblance to statues of ancient conquerors just made it more difficult for her.<p>

"It's rude to stare, Sage." He pointed out under his breath as he dropped the last trickles of sand from his hand and met her eye, his hair looked light brown in the sun.

Normally she would have come up with a sarcastic answer but instead she spoke honestly, a small smile on her lips, "I couldn't help it."

Normally he would have come up with a quippy retort but instead he looked away from her and for a second she could have sworn he was blushing, well, as much as a vampire like he could anyway. She laughed loudly, unhindered by their surroundings. "Does that bother you?"

He looked back at her and there was a smile on his lips, "Kind of." He admitted. "People always look at me, they never see me." His voice was quiet.

It sounded like a spirit induced emotional observation but Sydney could hear the truth to his words. She shifted closer to him. "You're hard to miss Adrian." She replied softly.

"Really?" it was an honest question and she pretended not to hear the hopeful twinge to his words.

She nodded, resting her cheek in her palm and looking at him. "Really."

For just a second his face broke out into a smile, not a smirk or a flirty grin but a true smile and Sydney felt her chest tighten before suddenly he jerked away from her.

She watched him concerned, suddenly the world seemed quieter and Sydney looked around to find that they were alone on the steps, the people he had seen and brought to the dream gone.

"Something's wrong." she looked back at him and his eyes were frantic; he caught her arms and crouched down to her.

"Adrian?" There was fear in her voice; the warmth was gone from the world and her head was beginning to throb. Suddenly he caught her face, holding her cheeks with his hands and stared into her eyes.

"Something is happening." He said, "Why are you asleep Sydney?" her head was beginning to get worse, and she couldn't think, she tried to look away from his eyes but he wouldn't let her. "Why? Why have you been asleep for so long? To be here with me. Are you with me out there?" he glanced at the sky and she could see the sun had gone. "Are you with me in the waking world?"

Was she?

She moaned, the pain in her head had just tripled, she leant into his hands, hoping to push the pain away but it only increased, he caught her shoulders and pulled her against his chest. "Sydney," he breathed into her hair. "Are you with me?"

She wanted to answer but found she couldn't, the only words she could fathom were pain, her head gave a dull throb, she clutched Adrian's arms but it had no effect.

And then, just like that, he was gone.

But she wasn't alone.

* * *

><p>Rose held him in her arms, her head buried into his chest. Dimitri Belikov looked like he had been to hell and back but he clutched her just as needily. Janine watched her daughter embrace the love of her life and allowed herself to be relieved just for that small moment.<p>

Their raid had been more then successful, several humans had been captured for questioning, and several more were dead. They had been taken by surprise and something about that bothered Janine, the Guardians and the Keepers had been prepared for a fight. Their enemies had up until this point been almost hyper aware of the situation, knowing things that they never should have known, yet, they hadn't expected this.

They hadn't expected to be found.

They didn't know about the bond. The shadow-kissed Moroi princess had led them to Adrian's and Dimitri's whereabouts but the Vampire Hunters, for that's exactly what they were, had not know about the connection between Adrian and Jill and that had been their downfall.

They had know the Palm Springs location, even their schedule since they had planned the road attack ahead of time, had know Sonya's apartment layout and the time of Dimitri's sweeps but this crucial detail they had missed.

Why?

The answer was simple but one that filled the seasoned guardian with dread, she dare not air her thoughts in public. Yet.

The Alchemists.

Working with Vampire Hunters, to what end?

Janine didn't know but Abe would have a few theories.

"Adrian?" her daughters' voice brought her back to reality and Janine looked up to see Rose, still in Dimitri's arms but looking to her for explanation.

"They separated us," that was Dimitri, his voice wad rough, like sandpaper, "I couldn't…" he swallowed not offering an excuse.

Janine gave him a dark look, "Of course you couldn't, don't blame yourself Belikov, we're only human." Janine grimaced at the end of her sentence, because of course, they weren't only human but they certainly weren't gods not matter what the student population of St Vladimir's thought. "I know you would have done everything in your power to protect him."

"How is he?" that was Rose, she was trying to hide how much concern she harboured for the young Moroi but was failing in the task.

"Hurt but fine." Janine nodded, "he's still unconscious from what ever drug they were giving him. They knew about his spirit power and weren't giving him a chance to use it against them like last time."

Dimitri looked at the elder Hathaway, "Then how did they get their answers?"

"Answers to what?"

Dimitri tensed for a moment, but ploughed ahead, "That's what they did, asked me questions, they said they wanted to know if I was a good person or a bad person. And when I didn't answer correctly…" he trailed off and Rose squeezed his hand so tight Janine thought the circulation might cease.

"I don't know," she shook her head; "we'll ask him when he wakes up."

"All clear." The three looked up at the appearance of another vice. Eddie stepped into the room, he had a bandage around one arm and was holding it awkwardly to his side but his stance was strong and his eyes checked, as always, for danger. "We've rounded up the last of their fancy gadgets, and are taking the stuff back to court."

Rose nodded. "Good and we'll be going back with it I suppose." She looked at Dimitri who didn't answer.

"You all will," Janine broke in, "with the vote passed, the mission here in Palm Springs is over, Jill is safe once again, I think Lissa will be relieved to have her back at court." There was a funny note in her tone Rose couldn't understand but she nodded in agreement.

"Finally, no offence Eddie," she nodded at her friend, "but I'd feel a lot safer having Jill back where I can watch her."

The Guardian shrugged, "None taken, the safer the better, but I think Adrian was really starting to like it here."

Rose looked doubtful but wasn't in any position to disagree, "Well at least Sydney will be happy, no more vampires to contend with." Only Alchemists, with suspicious motives, who presented an all new danger.

Eddie's face darkened and he paused for a moment to talk, Dimitri tensed next to Rose and he at least seemed to know what was coming. "About that…I hope the Alchemists weren't lying when they said she'd been re-assigned."

But of course, they were. "Why?" Rose asked.

Eddie looked uncomfortable and Rose wondered if Sydney had managed to make yet another friend from one of the creatures of the night, "Because she's not here, we swept the whole building and not a thing, if these Vampire Hunters were holding her there wasn't any sign."

There was a beat as every paused to let that sink in, very slowly, Rose spoke, "And if they were never holding her?"

"Then who the hell is?"

* * *

><p>Sydney woke again or maybe she fell asleep again because suddenly she was in the snow, she shivered and sat up. The world around her was white, she was in what looked like the front yard of a small cabin place, snow was falling in flakes from the sky, a small lake was ahead, frosted over with deceptively safe looking ice.<p>

She was wearing the dress from her date with Trey but she wasn't freezing and it was that realisation that convinced her that she was indeed dreaming again. She stood up, and snow stuck to her body from where she had been lying, she looked across the way to the small cabin, which looked how she pictured Christmas cabins to look, all swathed in snow with warm glowing windows promising comfort.

Sydney walked towards it, taking the steps two at a time, pausing as she reached the front porch. Hesitantly she reached out and knocked.

Adrian answered the door.

He looked truly surprised to see her. "Sydney?"

"Um…hey," suddenly she felt uncomfortable in her revealing dress.

He swept her into his arms pulling her into a hug and into the cabin, standing in the doorway he swung her around happily, finally clutching her to him and laughing, "You're here thank God." She found a vampire thanking God ironic.

"Where is here?" she asked carefully, looking around the room, it was furnished as you'd expect a luxurious cabin to be. Complete with fireplace.

Adrian shrugged, "I don't know, I just come here sometimes, it must be a place for me to spirit dream of it but…" the words spirit dream seemed to remind him of something and he looked back at her quickly. "This is a spirit dream right?" he frowned, "I can't remember…"

Neither could she, the last thing she knew was…steps and him and agonising pain in her head. "Me neither."

He managed a smile for her, "But you're here that's all that matters."

Was she?

"I am." Her words were hopeful but not true, she hugged him again, linking his fingers with hers.

A few hours later they sat on the couch, letting the fire warm them, the snow outside had turned black with night and Sydney had changed clothes somehow, as you often do in dreams, Adrian had his arms around her, she was using his chest as a pillow, every inch closer to him seemed one step away from something…she didn't know.

But it scared her.

Adrian touched in her way it was tangible, like he was testing her for something, testing to see if she was real, something was bothering him too. But as long as they were together it seemed of little consequence. Then, "Sydney, you're bleeding."

"What?" she sat up,, Adrian was staring at his fingers which were indeed dipped with red, he glanced at her and his eyes focused on her neck.

Slowly, she lifted her hand and pressed her palm against the side of her neck, right where her pulse would normally be. She felt it shudder as she clutched a wound. A bite.

Suddenly, she felt nauseous, dizzy. Adrian said something and she tried to look at him but his outline was blurred. "Adrian…" she whispered.

"Sydney." He pressed his forehead against hers, forcing her to look into his eyes, he was the only thing solid to her now, as the cabin, the couch, everything faded around her. "What's happening to you? Out there. Are you okay Sydney?"

Was she?

"No,"

"Why?"

"Ian…" she touched her cheek leaving a red smudge on her golden tattoo, "he…they."

She swallowed, her mouth dry, it tasted like copper. There was blood on her lips. She looked at Adrian, at his angled face, his green eyes and the fear she saw reflected in them and her voice shook. "They think they're doing the right thing." She finally chocked out.

They were trying to save her. From him, from herself, save her soul.

And they would destroy her to do it.


	11. Chapter 11

A/n: Don't own, don't sue.

Okay guys, final chapter before the epilogue, thanks for everyone whose stuck with this story, I know it hasn't been easy and I appreciate all your feedback.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 11<strong>

* * *

><p>"The whereabouts of one Alchemist is none of my concern." Stan said darkly, his arms crossed. "I won't waste any more resources looking for her when we're all needed back at court, the Moroi factions will be more dangerous now than ever."<p>

"What about _our_ mission?" Dimitri sat quietly on one of Sonya's comforters, while the rest stood around tensely in the living room, carrying on the discussion. "Sydney was helping us, we need her." His voice was still quiet but there was strength to it. He hadn't said much since being rescued; only talking in hushed whispers to Rose.

Stan considered the argument, he thought highly of Dimitri before and after his reformation from being Strigoi. "I have no authority there, the Alchemists—"

"Their the ones behind this!" That was Rose, who had jumped in, as usual, to the conversation; she was sitting next to Dimitri on the lounge but stood to make her point, "If the Vampire Hunters didn't take her, then the Alchemists did, you can't possibly buy that line about reassignment can you?" she asked incredulously.

Stan didn't look impressed at her outburst but was getting used to them by now, "I don't see why not, no doubt Miss Sage ran for it when our people were in danger and her kind are just protecting their reputations. I wouldn't put anything past a bunch of humans, and plus," he looked about the room, squaring in on Jill and Eddie, "Why would they want to kidnap one of their own?"

Rose paused, biting her lip, true, that question had plagued her for the last few days, as her theories came together, after all Sydney had said she was out of trouble with them over the prison break. However, her chance to answer was cut off by another voice joining the conversation. Abe Mazur spoke, from his place sitting at the coffee table; he had, as usual been watching the proceedings with interest.

"Because she realised what a lot of them do, we're not the monsters we used to be, the monsters the Alchemists are still trying to convince themselves we are. She wouldn't be the first or the last to realise that we're not all evil creatures of the night," he mocked the term, a glint of amusement in his eye. "And she wouldn't be the first to be corrected for such a thought, either."

Rose watched her father closely, a tightness building in her chest, as she remembered a hotel room from a few months ago, "Go, help your friends." She'd left Sydney then, other issues more pressing, but only a few days after she remembered Adrian glaring at her, with heartbroken eyes, "Where's your Alchemist?"

"What do you know about it old man?" she narrowed her eyes at him, carefully.

Abe shrugged, sitting back in his chair lazily, "Enough." He answered vaguely, "They call it re-education. It's really more like brainwashing and torture."

From across the room Jill gasped. Eddie clasped her hand in his, trying to calm her fears.

"And when the Alchemists," Janine's voice drew all the attention in the room to her, she leant against the kitchen counter, arms crossed, red hair tied up behind her head, "realised they could kill two birds with one stone, by using the Vampire Hunters as a cover, well…" she trailed off, letting that settle over the room.

Oddly it was Eddie who spoke, "They were the only other ones who knew our location outside of this room." He pointed out, his brow furrowing, as he put the pieces together.

"And they knew about Adrian's spirit abilities," he added.

"But not our bond." Jill spoke, softly, her eyes still showing her concern for her missing friend, devious plots were far from her mind but even she could see the truth, "Sydney promised not to tell them, it's why the Vampire Hunters didn't know we'd be able to find them so easy, because the Alchemists didn't know either."

Abe nodded, he seemed to be giving the impression, that none of this was news to him, "They're also the ones with the kind of funds needed for such fancy gadgets and technology, sunlight bullets, UV radiated gas and silver stake launchers don't come cheap you know."

"And if anyone would know about illegal weapons, it'd be you." Rose pointed out dryly, to which Abe simply shrugged, unfazed.

It was Stan who played devils advocate, "But would they really do such a thing, the Alchemists may hate us but they know they can't win, they've resigned themselves to protecting humanity for hundreds of years."

"A long time to change you mind if you ask me, I dare say it's not all of them, but a few may have thought that using humanity against us, with say…Vampire Hunters is better then hiding us away in secret."

"None of this is helping us find Sydney." That was Jill, she didn't seem to realise the magnitude of the situation as the others did, if the Alchemists had indeed betrayed the Moroi, things in their world could get so much more complicated.

Eddie took her hand again as Rose considered her words, it seemed again there were more pressing issues than the fate of Sydney Sage, she looked at Abe. "Is there any way to find her if the Alchemists don't want her found?" she asked.

For a moment there was a flicker in the Dhamphirs eye that was just maybe a little regret before he shook his head, "No. I can ask around but I wouldn't get my hopes up, as many connections as I have, they have more, nothing happens in the human or Moroi world that they don't know about."

"But we have to do something." that was Eddie surprisingly and Jill was nodding along with him, Rose decided that Sydney had indeed made more friends from vampires.

Stan looked at him disapprovingly, "As I said before, the fate of one Alchemist is inconsequential; we have to return to court and inform the council of the Alchemists turn."

"I would hold off on that if I were you," Abe commented to the guardian, "You might accidentally expedite things."

Rose silently agreed.

Sydney was again beyond their help.

* * *

><p>Adrian awoke in the dark, he bolted upright immediately, searching aimlessly for Sydney, his skin felt cold and clammy, and his body ached, every muscle and joint cringing in pain as he moved from the soft bed.<p>

It took his vampire eyes just moments to adjust to the darkened room and soon he recognised Sonya's guest room, he could see a light coming under the door and hear the soft murmur of voices. His first reaction was to go to them and demand answers but his mind was still sluggish and his body still tired, he saw there was a bandage around his elbow on his right arm.

For a moment his vision swam and he felt dizzy, gratefully he sunk back onto the bed, pressing his palms against his throbbing temples. He felt, lost? No, more like he had lost something.

Or more accurately, someone.

Sydney. His heart seemed to miss a beat in his chest and for a second fear froze him, something was wrong with Sydney, very wrong, he'd been in so many dreams, with her, without, they all jumbled together and he couldn't figure a time line, he remembered Rome, the snow, her lips on his…something taking her away.

He must have been asleep or unconscious for some time, the last real word event he remembered was a car crash and then questions so many questions about his drinking, his sleazing, his feeding. Oddly it was harder than remembering the dream, like grasping water in his fingers the memories faded and fell his mind must have been elsewhere at the time. With her.

Where was she?

There was a soft knock at the door and Adrian raised his head, "Come in," his voice was tight and he needed water.

The light in the room expanded as Jill peeked inside, the first thing he noticed were the tears in her eyes, she however, looked relieved to see him up, "I felt you wake."

He could only nod as she slipped into the room and hugged him tightly around the chest. He held her for a few minutes soon realising that she was crying into his shirt. He could ask his questions later, he stroked her hair, "Easy jailbait, it's okay, I'm fine."

She didn't stop crying.

"How long have I been out?" he asked gently, as she pulled back a little and wiped her nose on her arm, her green eyes were red and puffy, "A few days, that stuff they gave you—" she glanced at his bandaged arm, "was liquid sunlight or something, it weakened you, took away your magic, I thought…" she sniffed again and he knew what she thought. Well that explained the long periods of unconsciousness. He hugged her again.

"I'm fine Jill, I promise." He said earnestly.

Jill rubbed some of the tears from her cheeks and nodded shortly, "I know," she whispered.

But her eyes were still sad, her shoulders still slumped and worry began to bubble in the pit of his stomach, "Angeline?" he asked carefully.

She shook her head. "She's okay, stitches and stuff but she was well enough to help us break you and Dimitri out." Adrian gave her a puzzled glance and Jill quickly explained. "He's fine, they used one of those sound things to hurt him, but once he answered their questions they stopped. That was just before we rescued you both."

"Questions about what?" Adrian asked, a good person or a bad person, well, he might not like Belikov but he was under no illusion. "About when he was a Strigoi?"

"No," Jill shook her head, "about him and Rose mostly," the stoic guardian had been so reluctant to pass on that information and had said it through gritted teeth.

Adrian's eyebrows rose but he declined to comment, maybe the Vampire Hunters were prudes.

"And then Sydney…" Jill chocked again an Adrian's hands gripped her so tightly he hoped she wouldn't bruise. Sydney, his breath caught.

"Where is she? Tell me you got her out too." He had felt her disappearing from his arms, something wasn't right, something had been happening in the waking world.

Jill shook her head and she looked on the verge of tears again, she avoided his eye, "She wasn't there. The others they think…well, they think…" there was confusion and fear in her eyes and Adrian understood.

"The Alchemists." Dread seeped into his veins and he found he couldn't control his body, a sound caught in his throat and for a moment he whished so desperately for a drink. For numbness.

Jill hugged him again but he couldn't return the embrace, "I know you care about her, no matter how much you fight." She looked him in the eye and he wondered if it was the bond or simply natural Jill that was deciphering all his hidden feelings. Jill swallowed thickly, "She makes you better."

Adrian froze. He remembered a long ago conversation with Rose, he'd been heartbroken and barely listening to her half hearted excuses but, "Balance." She had said Belikov balanced her; it hadn't made sense at the time. It did now.

Makes him better.

Sydney made him better.

Now she was gone forever.

* * *

><p>"You're leaving," Micah was aghast but Eddie suspected that was mostly because of Jill and not their friendship. In any case he hated to hurt his new friend, he nodded solemnly.<p>

"Yeah, mum and dad want us all back in South Dakota at the moment, they've patched up some of their issues." He lied easily as he packed his things away, his mind was still troubled. Amberwood hadn't been his favourite place but it wasn't so bad and he was sad to say goodbye to his friends.

Micah still looked shocked as he sat, lazily on his dorm bed, his red hair was a mess and he looked even more like Mason. "Man that sucks." Typical guy eloquence but it did sum up the situation nicely.

Eddie nodded, "That's what they invented e-mail for." Eddie said tucking his sneakers into his over stuffed suitcase and pulled out a winter coat, it would be cooler back at court. "Jill and I will keep in touch."

"What about Sydney and Angeline?" Micah asked. Eddie shrugged, his face turning dark, he didn't mention that it wasn't likely Sydney would ever use e-mail again if Abe's description of her current predicament was true and Angeline was still at a crossroads, her incidents at school hadn't left her in the guardians favour but he was determined to keep her from returning to the Keepers if possible.

"Them too, I guess."

"Man," Micah shook his head, "and in the middle of the school year too, I'm going to have to find another study group."

Eddie grinned roguishly, as he sat on his bed and did up his shoe laces, the last of his packing finished. "And someone else to copy homework from." He joked.

Micah gave him a mock offended look, "I'm sure Trey will hook me up, he's become even more of a nerd since he started crushing on your sister."

Eddie frowned, something in the back of his mind rang alarm bells and he couldn't help but feel like he was forgetting something. "Trey…" his voice trailed off

His hand stilled as his mind whirled, putting pieces together into the ever increasing puzzle inside his mind that made up the Alchemists and their plots.

Vampire Hunters.

From far off he remembered Clarence's crazing ramblings and the men he had encountered the other night. _"They worship the sun."_ and they'd all had the same tattoo.

He'd seen it before.

It fell into place.

* * *

><p>Finding the football star hadn't been hard but getting him alone had proved more difficult, finally Eddie simply demanded to speak to him in his most dangerous voice. Trey seemed ready to argue but then agreed with a shrug as Eddie led him away from his friends and into a lonely hallway.<p>

Where he suddenly grabbed Trey by the throat and slammed him against the wall.

The boys' eyes went wide and he struggled against Eddies fingers, gasping. Eddie glared, his guardian strength far superior to Trey's human stuff.

"You're one of them aren't you?" Eddie growled, getting in his face, "you knew all along who we were." His voice dropped to a hiss, "you spied on us."

Trey chocked but didn't answer straight away, only when Eddie tightened his grip and the football players face started to go blue did he gasp, "I didn't." he coughed and Eddie glared, "they only told me a few weeks ago." Again he tried to pry Eddie fingers loose but failed. Luckily for them no one had come by to witness the incident. "They were supposed to judge you, I thought they'd let you go, they always let the good ones go."

"You thought we were good?" Eddie asked dangerously. He wished he had fangs to really frighten.

Trey squirmed, "Yes, I even told them so, they were going to leave you alone, but the Alchemists insisted, they wanted to know about Sydney and Adrian."

Eddie frowned, "What about them?" he asked

"Wether they were friends, wether any of you were friends, I told them he had feelings for her—"

"What!" Eddie spat, if he wasn't careful Trey would soon stop breathing, he glanced around nervously, hoping his shout hadn't alerted any of the staff to their presence. "Adrian doesn't have feelings for Sydney." But even as he said it the word felt like a lie in his mouth, he remembered Angeline so matter-o-factly disagreeing with him.

"Yes he does, but after Sydney went out with me I convinced them it was unrequited and I thought they'd moved on!"

"What did the Alchemists do then?"

"I don't know!" Trey despaired, "I don't have a direct line to them, I just do as my father says."

Eddie narrowed his eyes, "Even if it means betraying your friends," there was nothing he hated more, other then Strigoi.

"I swear, I didn't know they'd hurt her." Eddie could genuinely see the honesty and regret in Trey's dark eyes but it did little to quell his fury.

"And Adrian? Dimitri?"

"I thought they'd let them go, they only kill immoral vampires."

"I'll show you an immoral vampire." Eddie hissed, pulling back his fist and slamming it into the human's face.

* * *

><p>Adrian sat in the abandoned garage of his apartment, surrounded by car parts and the half finished automobile that was now looking much prettier; he was starting to see why Sydney had gushed about it.<p>

Still pink, but with new wheels and upholstery, and a replaced dashboard, free of dents in the body. Would it ever be finished he wondered.

He rested his hand on the hood, his knuckles turning white as he made a fist. He felt a familiar darkness flicker in his mind and clutch at his heart. Spirit.

_She makes you better._

He forced the feeling away.

There were dark circles under his eyes, he'd been trying for the last few days, sleeping, whenever he could, trying to find Sydney again but her mind appeared closed to him. He would wake thrashing from a new nightmare and he was starting to wonder if they were his or hers.

His packing wasn't even half done, although the rent on his place was paid up until the end of the month, without Jill and Eddie, Angeline and her. He saw no reason to stick around.

Except this stupid car.

_Thunk!_ He pounded his fist against its repaired roof and smirked mirthlessly, Sydney would have chewed him out for touching her baby that way. Unconsciously he rubbed the metal as an apology.

He opened the door and slipped into the passenger's seat, the new leather firm beneath him. He rested his head against the headrest and let out a breath, he could smell oil from the garage and the new parts. He closed his eyes, crossing his arms and trying to get comfortable.

He slept and dreamt.

* * *

><p>She was there<p>

Not inches from him.

His breath caught and then released as he took in their surroundings. A study. A neatly furnished, rich looking study. There was the sound of rain on the roof and through the gap in the satin blinds Adrian could see a storm.

Sydney was sitting across from him, in a hard looking leather comforter. She held her legs against her body, her fingers digging into the skin, she seemed cold. The whole room seemed cold and Adrian shivered unconsciously.

He took a step towards her and her head jerked up at the sound of movement. Her tattoo flashed in the dim lighting of the study. He didn't recognise the room but she seemed to know it well.

"Sydney?"

"Please go away." She whispered, speaking more to her own knees then to him.

Adrian paused, as there was a creak from the ceiling as if people walked the halls above them. "I can't." he finally answered, mirroring her tone, his words a hush. "Not without you."

She raised her head slowly and he saw tears in her eyes, "Adrian…please." She begged.

He didn't stop this time, walking towards her quickly and dropping to his knees in front of her chair, reaching out his hand to touch her. His finger stilled as she flinched away from him.

He leant back on his heels, not taking his eyes off her, "Sydney where are you? Tell me, please."

She looked at the room, taking in the walls and the door, and the bookshelves, the desk. She swallowed thickly, "In my fathers study," she answered

Adrian licked his lips, he felt like he was on borrowed time, he felt in a rush, but he couldn't move more than a snails pace. Just like in a normal dream. "But where are you really? Where are you actually?"

Finally she met his eye; there was a beat, "Far away."

Adrian wanted to curse, to scream, to shake her and beg her to tell him everything. "Far away from where?" he bit out desperately.

"Everything."

"Sydney." This time he caught her arms and pulled her closer to him, "I need you to tell me so I can find you, so I can rescue you." He was no knight in shining armour but she wasn't a damsel in distress either.

"You can't rescue me."

His heart clenched, and spirit seemed to press in on him.

She makes you better.

He forced it away. "Why?"

"They won't let you." A steel seemed to creep into her voice and the muscles in her jaw clenched.

"The Alchemists?" there was a clap of thunder outside so loud that Adrian jumped, his blood seemed to be pumping faster, he could hear alarm bells in his mind, sounding like a ticking clock.

Sydney nodded and for just a moment, he saw hate, pure hate flash in her amber eyes and for one crazy second he wondered at the time and skill it would take him to paint that expression.

There was urgency in her voice next, "I'm sorry Adrian," she shook her blonde head and the tears were back. A bell chimed in his head. "I'm so sorry. Forgive me please."

Was he crying himself? "Sydney?" he squeezed her forearms and she returned the gesture.

"It was worth it."

He stared at her.

"You have to know…you were worth it."

Then the world was melting like ice-cream on a hot day, the walls first then the floors, then finally them and he was slipping away from her.

Then he woke.

And he was alone. His fingers clutching empty air and the shadow of where she had been.


	12. Epilogue

**A/n: **Don't own Don't sue

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><p><strong>Epilogue<strong>

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><p>Danielle Ivashkov sat in the dark drinking scotch. Expensive scotch. The woman of the Ivashkov Family was still under house arrest, still followed everyday by judging eyes and whispers. Of her infidelity, of her cover up, of her marriage.<p>

Normally those things alone would be enough to make her reach for the bottle but tonight, there was a special occasion, a special reason for her sipping the amber liquid at almost afternoon, alone in her darkened living room.

That very reason was just retuning home.

"Adrian?"

He stopped as he entered the room, hair a stylish mess as usual, arms full of paper and car keys. It took his vampire eyes only a few seconds to adjust to the gloom and he looked at her. "Single malt, from the twenties, classy."

She had no moral high road to disparage him for mocking his mother; she nodded to the seat opposite him. "Sit."

He sighed, "I'm tired mother…"

"Now, please."

He did so.

There was silence for a few minutes as Adrian found another glass and poured himself a liberal amount, he took a long sip before speaking. "What have I done wrong now?"

Danielle paused, "There are rumours—"

"There are always rumours," he cut her off; "I thought you of all people would have learned not to listen to most of them."

"About what you're doing every day," She took a sip, "about who you're looking for."

He didn't look away from her gaze; there was a defiant tilt to his chin that she was very familiar with but this time it was different. "So?"

"You don't deny it?" she asked quickly.

He didn't need to answer, Danielle Ivashkov took a breath and tried to swallow her feelings like a good member of respectable society, over the years, many times she'd been ashamed of her sons actions, his partying and sleazing and boozing and even his grades, but not once had she ever been ashamed of him.

She was now.

"An Alchemist, Adrian?" she asked in a harsh whisper, as if they were being spied upon and one wrong word could land her back before the court. When the whispers had first reached her ears she'd been slow to react, people didn't tell her so many things these days, they didn't include her in the gossip sessions, especially if she or her family were the topic itself.

But when Adrianne Taurus had finally took her aside at the salon parlour and informed her of her sons newest disgrace, she'd sworn to get to the bottom of it.

He was different now, looking at him from across the table, his eyes bright, not red rimmed or unfocused, his smell unmarred by cigarette smoke, his shoulders firm and proud. Danielle wondered, he'd been like this for a while now, every day the same, he would leave early in the morning, return with ink blotted fingers, he'd take trips to far corners of the world, disappear for weeks and return not with a hangover but with a look of disappointment. She hadn't known why till now. "And your father always thought Rosemarie Hathaway was the lowest you could go," her voice wasn't harsh, but the words were, she was only echoing her husband.

He used the same tone when talking to her these days; it was hard to tell which member of his family he was more ashamed of. His wife or his son.

"We'll add that to the list of things Nathan Ivashkov didn't know then." Adrian replied calmly.

"What happened to her?" Danielle asked after a pause.

"They took her." There was a hitch to his voice only a mother would notice.

"Why?"

"Because of me." She saw the guilt settle in his eyes and for one desperate moment she wanted nothing more than to wrap him in a hug but it wouldn't be welcome she knew. Instead she spoke.

"Do you think you'll find her?" before your father finds out what you're really using his money for, before their friends could judge him any further.

There was a pause and the clock on the wall ticked over evening. Finally, "No." he said, "but I won't stop trying."

The word Adrian Ivashkov and conviction weren't often used in the same sentence but that was all Danielle could think as she took in his words, "Was she really worth it?"

"She was…she is."

Danielle thought of her husband, of her lover, of everything she had done to protect her son and her life and she realised that Adrian was a fool.

Just like she had been.

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><p>There was a knock on Jill's dorm room, she glanced at the clock and figured that it was Eddie, the lunch shift would just be switching over and of course he would be the first to check in on her, she smiled. "Come in."<p>

Jill returned to typing her e-mail to Micah on her laptop and was just about to hit send when a voice spoke up, "Did you change the wallpaper in here?"

Jill jumped a little and spun around in her chair, quickly facing her sister and the most powerful Moroi in the world, Lissa Dragomir. Jill quickly studied her shoes. "Not really," she muttered, "I just added some posters." Her favourite bands, a full colour one advertising safari's in Africa, she hoped to go one day despite her tolerance for sun.

"I have that one." Jill's head jerked up, Lissa was pointing at one of the posters just behind Jill's bed, one of a human rock band on stage. "Andre took me to see them at a concert once." Jill slowly raised her eyes and met her sisters, there was sadness there, but a small smile still hinted at her full lips. She looked at Jill, "If they're still touring, we should go to one."

The youngest Dragomir did her best not to show her excitement even as her heart leapt, she smiled brightly, "I'd like that."

"Of course we'd have to bring Rose…and Eddie, and Dimitri, and half the royal guard come to think of it." Lissa shook her head despairingly.

Jill snickered, "Or we could just sneak out." She suggested, but there was a nervous hitch to her voice.

Lissa smirked at her, "Adrian's been a bad influence on you hasn't he?"

Jill sobered a little and she looked back to her shoes, "He's not really a bad influence on anyone at the moment, he's never around."

"That must be hard." Lissa's voice was far away and there was a tension to her face, but it wasn't directed at Jill, "I remember what it was like to be separated from Rose, when we were first bonded."

Jill didn't often discuss Adrian feelings with anyone, the last person she'd talked openly to about them was Sydney… "He's sad." But of course Sydney wasn't here, but her real sister was.

"Rose said that." Lissa nodded, "but she doesn't know why…but I think Dimitri does."

Jill watched Lissa closely for a second and for one of the first times she didn't see a Queen, or a princess but a person, a girl, who was just like her. "He does…I do."

Lissa seemed to consider before speaking slowly, "Is there anything I can do?"

Jill sighed and she felt her own sadness swell inside her, "No, I don't think there's anything anyone can do."

Lissa wasn't used to being weak, but she was, a powerful Queen who had once been a mad school girl, she knew both sides of the equation well. She stepped forward and touched a hand to Jill's shoulder, "And that's not your fault."

The youngest Dragomir's aura lightened just a little at her sisters words.

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><p>Zoë Sage sat in the dark, crying. The walls of Carly's apartment were thick though and neither her mother nor her sister would hear. She pulled her knees to her chest and wiped her nose on her sleeve.<p>

She had a horrible feeling.

Her father had just called and as buoyed as a phone call from Jared Sage usually made her, this one had made her shake with fear instead.

She asked after Sydney

And received the following reply, "She's being dealt with."

Zoë may not be an Alchemist yet, her cheeks may be bare, she might be free but she knew, she knew what that meant. Her sister was being fixed. Re-educated they called it.

Tortured, Sydney had once whispered under her breath. Zoë knew which was the truth.

And it was all her fault.

She'd gone to the Alchemists after speaking to her sister at Amberwood, one last act of defiance; of proving something to her father she would never know what. She told him all about the good looking Moroi Lord and the way he was with her elder sister.

She hated herself and wondered if Sydney would ever forgive her.

Would she even see her ever again? She knew the answer to that too. Of course, what use was setting an example if no one could see it? Zoë would find Sydney again but she wouldn't be the same, wouldn't speak the same or walk the same, she'd be knew and broken, like an old machine cobbled back together with parts missing and in the wrong place.

Zoë remembered the way her sister had protectively put her hand across her shoulders when the Alchemists had come to their house late at night. She remembered the way that Moroi had done the same to Sydney when he had seen them at their school.

She wished someone would do it for her now.

But knew they never would.

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><p>Sydney's skin was fire, was ice, was melting from her bones and then she was flying. She knew nothing of time or place.<p>

What did vampire bites feel like without the pain numbing pheromones? She knew.

What did vampire bites feel like with more pheromone than the human body could handle? She knew.

Vampires.

Creates of the night.

Monsters.

Moroi, Strigoi, Dhamphirs, they were all the same. In her nightmares they all fed on her the same, she would wake and find that they weren't dreams but reality and she'd hate them, hate them all.

Red eyes would stare into hers as razor sharp teeth sunk into her neck, her wrists, her thighs. Strigoi

Evil.

Green eyes would look upon her as the water in her body fizzed, as the air in her lungs was stolen, as compulsion eroded her free will. Moroi.

Evil.

The pattern would repeat, scorching pain and dreams really nightmares, really not either. And every hour, every minute, every day she'd fall a little further away.

And all she could think…

_Adrian._

Until that too, was gone.

And she was changed, from lead into gold and back again.

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><p><strong>An:** Okay guys, I wanted to thank you all again for reading this story through to the end and all the time you've taken to comment, I really do appreciate it. I know some of you probably arn't happy with the ending, but that's okay, it was like that for a reason. I'm currently working on the sequel which will probably be called **Brass and Iron** and if all goes well and its turns out half decent I should post it in a few weeks. Thanks again for all your comments**, **I hope to hear from all of you again :)


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